In June of this year I submitted an Order (Docket 0891) calling for a hearing to discuss diverting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tankers from traveling through Boston Harbor.

The Order came out of discussions I had with individuals on the State level about House Bill 4500 offered by Representative Brian Dempsey. House Bill 4500, if passed, would provide a means to meet the natural gas needs of the New England region by building a facility on outer Brewster Island. Once this facility is operational it would be able to meet all energy needs, allowing us the ability to close the Everett facility within a short period of time.

I support Representative Dempsey's bill and hope to see movement on this bill at the state level. I believe that in this post 9/11 world, we cannot afford to take chances. As a citizen of Boston and as a Boston City Councilor, I believe now is the time to act, in the interest of public safety, to protect the residents, visitors and business people the more than 2 million people that call Boston home on any given business day.

In early July I held a hearing on this matter and learned a lot about the safety and security of Boston Harbor. I also learned that by allowing LNG tankers to travel through Boston Harbor, we are exposing ourselves to disaster.

Simply stated, by permitting LNG tankers to move through Boston Harbor once a week on the way to the Distrigas facility in Everett, we are vulnerable to a devastating attack.

Since that July hearing I submitted a Resolution, which many of my colleagues signed on to, that urges approval of House Bill 4500. There is a lot of talk on both sides about this issue, but the facts remain the same there is a danger with LNG tankers traveling so close to Boston and surrounding cities.

For example, there are over 30 million gallons of liquefied natural gas in the belly of the tanker while it winds its way through the Boston Harbor, past the airport, past the North End, up the Mystic River and past Charlestown. When an LNG tanker floats towards the city the Coast Guard surrounds each arriving tanker with gunboats, helicopters overhead and police snipers on shore to ensure that the shipment is not compromised Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism adviser, testified at my hearing that there is a very real possibility that an LNG tanker could be attacked on US soil by individuals who want to do Americans harm. He also mentioned that there is only one urban location that sites an LNG facility: Everett. The only other LNG facility that would have been located in an urban location is Providence. That facility was not approved because of the severe risk to the surrounding area and the people who live in the Providence area.

I have said it before and I will continue to stand by my statement: By permitting LNG tankers to float by our city we are allowing what comes down to a floating time bomb passing by our city every single week. For example, if a terrorist attack or accident occurred to an LNG tanker while traveling through Boston Harbor, the result of that attack or accident would cover 1/3 of a mile in every direction, resulting in roughly 100,000 people negatively affected by such an attack or accident. This is an unbelievable statistic and one that is avoidable if we are proactive.

While we acknowledge the energy needs of the region, which include LNG, my colleagues and I support efforts to end this dangerous practice of tankers traversing the harbor by trying to find alternative sites and alternative methods of delivery of LNG to the New England region

On November 14, I will reconvene the LNG hearing from July so that we can further discuss this issue. It is my intent to stop LNG tankers from traveling dangerously close to our beautiful city. I firmly believe that housing an LNG facility on outer Brewster Island is appropriate. It will keep our city and surrounding cities safe from harm.