In The Zone Recap

I wish everyone could have attended the calm, reasoned, and knowledgeable presentation by Dr. Jerry Havens Thursday night in Astoria.

A crowd of about 200 learned much about LNG and about why all of us, whether for or against the proposed terminals here, should be paying a LOT of attention to safety concerns. Highlights of the riveting information from Dr. Havens:

• The Big Question for LNG safety: "How far away is far enough?" It's unclear what happened to original stipulations that LNG facilities should own or have control over ALL property within the hazard zones. Some scientists believe a terminal needs to be 2-3 miles away from people. Concerning all LNG terminals proposed near where people are, Dr. Havens said, "If you have an alternative, put (the terminal) someplace else."
  
  
• Virtually all but one LNG fire has been in a contained structure, so scientists don't know is how big and how hot an UNcontained LNG fire would be. Examples of uncontained fires would be LNG leaking from ships transiting the Columbia or while offloading the ship at dock, or from leaking tanks or pipelines. -- The biggest LNG spill research studies so far are of 10,000 - 20,000 gallons. The QMax LNG tankers that could come to Oregon LNG in Warrenton hold 265,000 cubic meters, which equals 70,000,000 (MILLION) gallons liquid. (1 Cubic Meter = 264.172052 Gallons [US, Liquid] - Research about the safe distance from a QMax tanker is still underway and probably won't be reported until 2010 and might be considered classified information.
  
  
• Natural gas, such as what we typically use, is lighter than air and so when it's uncontained in the air, it rises up and dissipates high off the ground. In contrast, the supercooled liquefied natural gas is cold and heavier than air; when it leaks from a tank, the vapors spread out horizontally close to the ground instead of going up and away. Vapor clouds done experimentally look very much like the low-lying marine layer level with the river that we often see in the morning. - Escaping LNG vapors are invisible unless they are in condensed water vapor. As one questioner asked, how could anyone see an LNG vapor cloud if it was mingling with the marine layer or fog? - It is unlikely LNG could spill without igniting. If it ignites, the burning vapor would ignite everything within it - such as trees, people, buildings, boats, etc. -- A lit cigarette can ignite an LNG vapor cloud - and so can a spark from friction with clothing, shoes, etc.
  
  
• Putting out an LNG fire with water is the wrong thing to do - any gas vapor that isn't ignited would be further disbursed by the water. - An LNG fire is so hot that it doesn't have smoke.

Brett VandenHeuvel, Executive Director of Columbia Riverkeeper, updated the audience on the status of the 3 LNG proposals in Oregon. The audience asked Brett and Dr. Havens many thought-provoking questions.

Unfortunately, a few pro-LNG people attacked Dr. Havens and the scientific research he was presenting, rather than asking about the safety issues of the terminals they want so much. Since Dr. Havens is the man the LNG industry and government turn to for safety standards, those accusations were especially ridiculous.

Other highlights: a fabulous scale model of the proposed Oregon LNG terminal in Warrenton, using the technical drawings posted on the company's website, www.oregonlng.com.

Congratulations to Lloyd Bowler for this detailed model, which even includes a football field and the Astoria Column to show just how massive the tanks and terminal would be. Roger Rocka and Jim Scheller did a masterful job of emceeing.

Jan Mitchell and Nancy Holmes baked dozens and dozens of delicious cookies and oversaw refreshments - their next project is the Pillsbury Bake-Off.

Dozens of elected officials and other community leaders were individually invited to hear Dr. Havens. We were pleased that some took advantage of this opportunity: Port of Astoria Commissioner Kathy Sanders, Port of Astoria Director Jack Crider, and County Commissioners Ann Samuelson and Dirk Rohne attended.

THANKS to the many people who worked tirelessly to make this event such a success! Special thanks to: Mick Alderman, Marc Auerbach, Lloyd Bowler, Bobbi Brice, Laurie Caplan, Robert Clark, Debi Donnelly, Lori Durheim, Lulu and Ned Heavenrich, Nancy Holmes, McLaren Innes, Cheryl Johnson, Jan Luesse, Ted Messing, Jan Mitchell, Larry Moore, Carol Newman, Gretel and Tom Oxwang, Dan Palenski, Roger Rocka, Jim Scheller, Lucien Swerdloff, Helen Westbrook. Special thanks to Ryan Davis and The Loft at the Red Building, the Cannery Pier Hotel, Columbia Pacific Common Sense, Columbia River Business Alliance, Columbia Riverkeeper, hipfish, the McKenzie River Gathering Foundation, and the Northwest Property Rights Coalition. Onward! Laurie

 

 

 

 

 

LNG Threatens Our Health and Safety “If about 3 million gallons of LNG* spills onto the water from an LNG tanker ship, flammable vapors from the spill could travel up to 3 miles.” *3 million gallons is only 10% of a typical LNG cargo.
Dr. Jerry Havens, Director, Chemical Hazards Research Center, University of Arkansas

“I'm very concerned about our ability to do anything in case of a tanker mishap …. If we put in a product that is as potentially flammable as an LNG facility, we've increased the probability to do harm to the public.”
Fire Chief Ted Ames, Warrenton, OR

Firefighting, safety, and security resources are extremely limited along the entire transit route to manage LNG shipments or respond to LNG emergencies, such as spills, fires,
U.S. Coast Guard Waterway Suitability Report, 2007

“LNG fires burn hotter than regular gas fires – and may emit thermal radiation that could burn even people near the vicinity of the fire. There is no reason to place these facilities in any location that could expose nearby residents to such risks.”
U.S. Representative Elijah E. Cummings, Chair, Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, April, 2007