Alabama Gov. Robert Riley has been granted an extension until Sept. 14 to decide whether to allow a proposed deepwater liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal offshore Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to move forward, a spokesman said.

The Maritime Administration granted the governor a 90-day extension to make up his mind about the 1.4 Bcf/d terminal proposed by Norwegian firm TORP Terminal LP 63 miles offshore, due south of Fort Morgan, AL.

“He wanted more information on the risks” associated with the LNG project, said Todd Stacy, the governor’s spokesman. In light of the ongoing oil spill in the GOM, “it’s the prudent thing to do,” although he acknowledged that comparing an LNG project to oil drilling was like comparing “apples to oranges.”

In October 2008, Riley shot down TORP’s proposal for the Bienville Offshore Energy Terminal, saying he had concerns with the company’s application (see Daily GPI, Oct. 13, 2008). The company at the time withdrew its application.

Less than a year later, TORT Terminal resubmitted its application to the federal government, after the company redesigned the terminal to use “closed loop” ambient air technology for vaporization, which is a favored solution by the Environmental Protection Agency.

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