Mar 05 – GSD: Chief Minister Does Not Wish To Engage On Consequences Of LNG Incident
The Chief Minister’s lack of appreciation of the potential risk and consequences of his plans to build a bunkering-capacity LNG installation so close to densely-populated areas is a huge cause for public concern, according to the latest release from the Opposition. The party says that Mr Picardo’s “continuing attempt to deflect people’s attention away from those issues is causing him to mislead the public yet again.”
The Opposition says that, on the 18th February 2015, during a GBC interview with Jonathan Sacramento, the Chief Minister asserted that there were already EU Directives requiring all ports within the EU to provide LNG bunkering and that a future GSD Government would have to have an argument with Brussels. The implication was, according to the GSD, that LNG bunkering at all EU ports is, or was about to become, an EU compulsory requirement from which Gibraltar could not easily opt out, if at all. But the party argues that the Chief Minister must surely know that Gibraltar is not part of the Trans-European Transport Core network and is “therefore not part of the proposals” requiring some ports to provide LNG refuelling facility.
Further, the Government should also, says the GSD, easily be able to make good on its claims that there is no risk to a densely-populated area, by publishing the reports it says it has in its possession. These must include gas cloud models, risk blast assessments and impact consequence assessments showing the impact of an accident to life and property of those living in the Western face of Gibraltar, says the party.
This, argues the GSD, would enable the electorate to make its mind up as to whether the risk is worth taking. Any failure of the Government to do so can only mean one of two things, says the party: “either it does not have the reports in question or it refuses to inform the public as to the consequences of an accident.”
The GSD says it is glad that the Government pays such close attention to the Leader of the Opposition’s twitter feed @dannyfeetham adding that there are many articles in the New York Times, both historic and recent on LNG, including the risks of terrorism, and “it is obvious that there is considerable debate and opposition to large LNG installations from both environmentalists and residents alike.”
A statement from the party concluded: “That debate takes place in the context of an industry that is highly- regulated in the US and has a track record. In New York State, for example, the risks are taken so seriously that the New York State Department of Transport establishes infrastructure routes for LNG road tankers pursuant to certain criteria including the ability of Municipal Fire Service Departments to deal with LNG explosions. If those Fire Service Departments cannot deal with LNG explosions, tankers are not allowed to use those routes.
“The GSD has acted responsibly by commencing and continuing the debate over the safety and risks associated with the storage and supply of LNG in bunkering quantities. The Government should remain in no doubt that the GSD will continue to generate debate on this matter: one which many Gibraltarians accept has important consequences for our community.”
