LNG as peak oil fix may lead to "Insanity Island"

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

From an alert issued by Clean Ocean Action:

The Atlantic Sea Island Group [ASIG] is planning to build a massive industrial complex in the ocean for the importation of LNG (liquefied natural gas). . . .

The facility, officially called “Safe Harbor Energy” by the company Atlantic Sea Island Group, is planned for 19 miles off the coast of New Jersey and 13 miles off the coast of New York. The same area is home to endangered species and is prime fishing grounds.

The project would require dumping 14 millions [tons] of fill to create the offshore island, which is 10 times the volume of the Empire State Building! Further, the island will only be 25 feet above sea level, while offshore wave heights during storms in this region can reach 30 to 50 feet.

The proposed artificial island would smother up to 140 acres of seafloor -- which is up to 14 times the size of Giants Stadium! At the ocean's surface, the island itself will be 86 acres. In addition, there will be large exclusion zones surrounding the facility and the tanker ships. The ships can be nearly four football fields in length. Such an island has never been constructed in the open ocean and ASIG has no experience in offshore construction or with LNG.