After Gulf Oil Spill, Lynch Calls for Abandonment of LNG Project

After Gulf Oil Spill, Lynch Calls for Abandonment of LNG Project

Attorney General Patrick Lynch yesterday called for an abandonment of plans for a liquefied national gas facility in Mount Hope Bay, saying the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was a “wake-up call.”

“As I witness this epic catastrophe unfolding, with no end in sight, I am reminded of similar assurances that have repeatedly been made by federal regulators and by Hess Corporation…about how the construction and operation of an LNG import terminal and pipeline adjacent to a residential neighborhood, and weekly shipments of massive quantities of LNG through densely populated communities would also be safe,” Lynch wrote in a letter to the CEO of the Hess Corporation and the executives of other energy companies involved in the project.

“As the ecological tragedy now damaging the Gulf of Mexico demonstrates so clearly, unexpected events can occur that endanger human life and the environment and forever ruin precious natural resources despite the best intentions of regulators and project developers,” Lynch said.

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