Local opposition is building in and around the proposed sites for liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on the Pacific Coast of North Baja in Mexico, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times, which cited meetings in Rosarito where project proponents were given an ear full from local business owners.

The report cited the apparent “silence” so far from the Mexican federal government, and the fact that local elected officials in Rosarito Beach and Ensenada, the two cities nearest the proposed sites, as saying they will only okay LNG terminal development if most of the local citizens favor the development. The LA Times article indicated there currently is no majority support.

At least a half-dozen proposals in various stages of development have surfaced in the past year regarding LNG receiving facilities along the North Baja Coast, within close proximity of existing and developing electric generation plants and major new natural gas transmission pipelines. The companies making these proposals include affiliates of: El Paso Natural Gas, Phillips, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Sempra Energy, CMS, Marathon, and Chevron/Texaco among others.

Two issues raised in the Times report were how much of the LNG would be used in Mexico and how much would be imported to California or elsewhere in the U.S., and how the proposals will fare in light of a recent series of energy-related mishaps in the area and the growing local organization of grass roots opposition to large industrial projects.

A week after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, one of the Rosarito power plants had an accidental explosion that knocked out power in the region for a day; then, late last year, the government-owned oil monopoly, Pemex, had two separate truck-related oil spills in downtown Rosarito; and finally, early last month an oil spill occurred along the nearby coast. Opponents of the LNG terminals are using these events as reasons why the gas terminals could be targets for terrorists.

While there is major power plant and oil industry installation near Rosarito Beach, there are also major residential and resort complexes that are frequented and owned by wealthy Americans who don’t want the location south of the border to be treated like a “dumping ground” for projects that would face more regulatory hurdles in the United States, particularly in California.

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