Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) on Tuesday called on Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta to respond to allegations contained in the latest tell-all book about the Bush administration that “al Qaeda operatives had been infiltrating Boston by coming in on LNG tankers from Algeria” apparently prior to the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.

In fact, on Sept. 11 top officials in the White House situation room feared that an attack was imminent on Boston through the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Everett, MA, and warned the U.S. Coast Guard that Boston Harbor may be an al Qaeda target, according to a Boston Globe article on the book.

The disclosures were made by Richard Clarke, former anti-terrorism czar for both the Bush and Clinton administrations, in his new book, Against All Enemies, which is sending shock waves throughout Washington, DC, and Boston. Clarke testified before the 911 Commission Tuesday afternoon.

“We have no reason to believe there is any truth to the comments about LNG contained in Mr. Clarke’s book,” said Julie Vitek, a spokeswoman for Distrigas of Massachusetts, which operates the LNG terminal in Everett. The company is not aware of any incidents of stowaways on Algerian LNG tankers in the months leading up to Sept. 11 or of the infiltration of LNG vessels by unauthorized personnel, she told Daily GPI. Moreover, the Coast Guard in Boston at the time found there was no threat to the LNG facility, she said.

Vitek said the Distrigas terminal had not had an LNG tanker from Algeria enter the Port of Boston since prior to Sept. 11. Massachusetts Director of Public Safety Ed Flynn also told the Globe the Coast Guard had barred Algerian tankers from the port since Sept. 11.

Vitek noted the terminal received two Algerian shipments in December 2001 and January 2002, but the LNG was brought into Boston Harbor aboard Luxembourg-flagged tankers, which were manned by European crews and officers. The bulk of the LNG shipped to the Everett terminal now comes from Trinidad.

“If Clarke’s assertions are true, the Bush administration has ill-informed the Congress, state and local officials in Massachusetts, and the public about the risks that liquefied natural gas tankers and shipments pose to the security of the Boston metropolitan area,” said Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security and long-time opponent of LNG.

“I was told that there was no known threat by al Qaeda to LNG facilities” by Mineta shortly following Sept. 11, Markey said. “If terrorists successfully infiltrating the U.S. on LNG tankers do not constitute a threat to LNG tankers or facilities, I don’t know what does.”

He further said he was “shocked” to learn that, despite claims by the administration that it relied on safety and security studies when it re-opened Boston Harbor to LNG tanker traffic in the fall of 2001, Clarke wrote that “had one of the giant tankers blown up in the harbor, it would have wiped out downtown Boston.”

In separate letters, Markey asked both Ridge and Mineta to explain what risks a successful terrorist attack on an LNG tanker or storage facility would pose to the communities bordering Boston Harbor, as well as to disclose when the Bush administration first became aware that al Qaeda operatives reportedly had stowed away on LNG tankers and why stronger security measures weren’t in place for LNG crews or passengers. He also asked what the government was doing to prevent al Qaeda from targeting LNG facilities in the future.

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