SACRAMENTO – In light of today’s U.S. Coast Guard hearing in Oxnard regarding the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) made the following statement reaffirming his strong opposition to the proposed BHP Billiton project, which would be located off the coast of Malibu:

“I want to make it very clear – the BHP terminal is the wrong project at the wrong time for California,” said Assemblymember Levine, who is the Chair of the Assembly’s Utilities and Commerce Committee. “California is headed in a vastly different direction than it was four years ago, and that direction is toward green, clean, and renewable energy sources.

“Because of information contained in an environmental impact report identifying more than a dozen harmful effects on marine life, air quality and the coastal environment, we know that this project is not in compliance with our Clean Air Act. We also know that at least one federal agency has played dirty politics to thwart California’s commitment to a clean environment by ignoring our clean and green state and federal environmental laws. This proposal is a giant step backward for California, and I vow to be vigilant in the fight to terminate this terminal.”

The proposed LNG terminal would be three football fields long and 14 stories high and located off the coast of Malibu and Oxnard. It would receive and store LNG from huge tankers that would arrive at least two to three times a week from foreign countries overseas. For more information, please visit www.coastaladvocates.com.

FYI: Assemblymember Levine will be attending Monday’s 10 a.m. California State Lands Commission hearing at the OxnardPerformingArtsCenter to voice his opposition to the BHP terminal.