We'll start this here but it could have been in Fishtown, politics, or lots of other places.

In today's PW: PGW wants to build a LNG storage depot and plant in Port Richmond.

BOOM.

Letting PGW have an LNG plant is like handing Nero a Bic, like letting Metropolitan Edison run a nuclear plant (oops, we did that one, already).

They can't get a bill right and they want to run a highly dangerous, security critical plant right in the heart of the River Wards.

BOOM.

Goodbye Port Richmond, Goodbye Fishtown, Goodbye Northern Liberties.

Perhaps we will be able to use the giant crater as an urban swimming hole.

So, what do you guys think.

http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=8406

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

PGW doesn't actually plan to run this thing. I guess they are set on PR b/c they already have an LNG facility there. I was just thinking last year that Philly should take advantage of the fact that Natural Gas is a hot commodity and that relatively few ports have the capability to receive it. I think it's a great way to stay relevant economically and create well paying blue collar jobs while lowering our high rates. I understand concerns but are we going to use terrorism as an excuse to make everyone poorer? to send this to some other place who need the jobs less? As I can tell form this article, most people, including myself, don;t know a whole lot about the risks. I do know that I have not recenely read any stories about problems at LNG plants. As terible as some peope make cities like Houston out to be...they actually have good jobs for people who may not have connecticut ivy league education.

This is an excellent opportunity for Philadelphia and they should accelerate the time table to have the LNG port operational. So many Philadelphians complain about the loss of blue collar manufacturing jobs, well here's a golden opportunity to bring some back. Its great that companies are seeing the potential of the Port of Philadelphia, the cruise ships, Kvaerner, FastShip Inc which hopefully be up and running soon, and now possibly Shell or ExxonMobil.

The U.S. is importing more than ever, the west coast ports are benefitting the most but we still have an opportunity to steal some business from the crowded North Jersey and New York ports.

I suggest we build the LNG facility in Manayunk, since El and E_MYK favor its so highly.

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

chris, I figured as soon as I read that you'd be against it since it woudl involve creating jobs. somehow I don;t think they are going to send tankers up the schuylkill but maybe that's just me. When I oringinally thought of an LNG terminal I figured it woudl go in S. Philly on the waterfront (down near Sunoco et al) but I understand why they want to put it in Port Richmond. I also understand that some neighbors woudl be concerned but we don;t need you out there spreading fear where it is not warranted. Really the concern is a terrorist attack. normal operation is pretty safe. so you are essentially saying that Philly runs the risk of a terrorist attack. Philadelphia used to have a lot of these types of businesses and they provided a lot of well paying jobs to local residents. they left and so did the people (or hadn;t you noticed?)

Number 1, where do you get off saying that I oppose jobs - I have worked to create far more than you've ever dreamed of. That seems to be your mantra for the day.

Number 2 - I never mentioned terrorists - the article did. It is, however, a high security risk industry.

Governors (both Republican and Democrat) have moved to get regs requiring LNG facilities to be in areas that have little population within a one-mile radius of the plant - not the 2,000 feet studied by PGW.

At a point when there seems to be a move to develop the waterfront in ways that work for everyone, this storage facility (tank farm) with a new high security docking facility in the middle of Port Richmond. which would obviously end any chances of a Bucks to Navy Yard river trail.

As for jobs, these places create very few. And as for revenue, it would be off the tax roles - owned by the city's own PGW.

If this were really such a great project, why is PGW trying to sneak it in, spending millions on studies and a big piece of change to hire pr firms to push it through (over community opposition) later.

As for my question about Manayunk, it was rhetorical. But I guess you couldn't see that.

You always want to develop someone else's neighborhood. Your concerns for safety seem to be limited to the dangers posed by the unlit stairway.

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

There are numerous tanks in that area already.

There is a relatively small tank farm there - where they compress and chill pipe gas to a liquid form for storage.

From the sounds of this, it would be a major new tank farm combined with a large new port facility with pipelines running from the shore to the facility. As I said before, this sort of project does little to create jobs - most of it is automated.

As an example, a far larger project recently dropped by Exxon-Mobil in Mobile, Alabama would have produced 50 jobs beyond the original construction jobs. And that was a $700 million project - far larger than this one.

As for El poopoohing security concerns, here's FERC's take:

And just remember - this is PGW that wants to do this.

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

I'm sure you have, I'm sure you have. I should have known; it's so obviousl that you like business and don't think of it as a friend of the devil.
that's true, but mostly for terrorism's sake. are you next going to tell me that we should have re elected Bush otherwise we all would have lived in fear?
I just wanted to point out the ridiculousness of your statement.
And you always want to play NIMBY in someone else's backyard. Fighting change, jobs, and capitalism wherever you can. Your hardline stances tend to force my hand into looking like I'm a 100% for this. I think it's a good idea although, as I've said before, I woudl have though further south would be better. If I were a resident, woudl I have concerns? Absolutely. Would I automatically be against it? nope. I realize that a city has to be a balance of things not just a playpen for rich people and people to serve them.

Have you been out sipping again? :?

Fighting change, jobs, capitalism wherever I can. WTF.

I've worked to create jobs - real, private sector jobs, for longer than you have been alive. I love change - the more the better. And capitalism - I've worked in the private, capitalist sector all my life.

I don't like all development . . . and I believe that neighborhoods should have a major role in the developments that effect them (afterall, what good is a neighborhood, a community, if it doesn't work for them).

In the case of this LNG facility, officials in Mobile felt that there was danger within a three mile radius of the plant - that's not exactly the hotbed of us radical capitalist haters.

And Mitt Romney, governor of Massachusetts, a Morman, a Conservative, and maybe the next Republican presidential candidate is calling for a one mile radius.

And if I do oppose this - I am not opposing a "capitalist operation." I am opposing a city owned entity.

We are all looking to see a major development of our riverfronts - both rivers. Many here are pleased about residential development in these areas. One simple question - does a new port facility, a major pipeline, 15 story storage tanks, and a dock big enough to hold 900-foot LNG tankers fit into this plan.

And so that maybe it can bail out PGW a bit, provide more earnings for energy companies that are already making record profits, and provide a max of about 50 jobs - absolutely tops, while despoiling a riverfront and a neighborhood.

As I said earlier, if this were such a wonderful plan, PGW would be crowing about it, runnning to the newspapers, holding press conferences, etc. Instead, PGW officials are sneaking around and refusing to talk while signing up pr consultants at nearly a million a pop.

Enough said.

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs