WHO’S PROTECTING WHOM? - Over 40 years ago, the City and Port of LA ushered into the community of San Pedro a voluminous and volatile liquid petroleum gas facility.
Negotiating since the late 1960’s to develop an LPG terminal in LA Harbor for the export and import of propane and butane, port officials decided that the storage site would be too hazardous to locate on their own property.
At that time, 1972/1973, a sitting LA Harbor Commissioner, Commissioner Cho, was a shareholder in Petrolane LPG and the company was expedited through the permitting process with an EIR that never addressed many critical facts … including the volatile nature of liquid petroleum gasses, the fact that the tank facility was being built on the Palos Verdes Earthquake fault (mag. 7.3) and in a seismic Landslide and Liquefaction Area.
Nor did the EIR identify that the storage facility was being placed within 1,000 ft. of existing residential homes. A risk analysis was never performed and its two 12.5 million gallon capacity tanks were built without LA Building and Safety Permits and to a seismic sub-standard of 5.5-6.0.
Petrolane was given an “emergency exemption” from the California Environmental Quality Act, and LA City Fire Regulations. Although the facility has changed hands two additional times since then, they have never had to perform a new EIR or upgrade the facility even though the operation is completely different from the original business operation that transported over 68 % of its gas by sea.
The port refused to renew their wharf in 2004 leaving the operation to ship 100% of its ultra hazardous commodity by rail and truck through the port and communities.
The stored energy at this location (more than 25 million gallons) represents the equivalent of 53 nuclear bombs. LPG is an ultra flammable substance and is nearly impossible to extinguish once ignited. This facility poses an extreme threat to lives and property on multiple levels.
1. The massive volume of its stored gas. The largest volume of gas of its type in such a densely populated area with a proximity that jeopardizes schools, neighborhoods, businesses, the 110 freeway, the Vincent Thomas Bridge, and the largest ports in the Nation.
The company is located on the back side of the large Conoco Phillips refinery, across the street from the Naval Fuel Depot and above a hornet’s nest of chemical and fuel pipelines extending up the coast and inland. The slightest human error could bring instant catastrophe. And, the facility’s antiquated 40 year old infrastructure is ripe for cataclysmic opportunity.
2. The incredible earthquake potential for disaster.
It is in the PV Fault Rupture Zone and on such seismically sensitive land. Anything greater than a 6.0 magnitude could easily rip through both large tanks like butter resulting in devastation never witnessed before by man. Considering that, once ignited, LPG burns at a temperature greater than 3500 degrees Fahrenheit, the radiant heat from this LPG fire would ignite all combustibles for MANY MILES!
3. Terrorism potential.
Two men were convicted in 2000 for a terrorist attempt on an LPG facility in Elk Grove, CA, that is essentially the twin to the Rancho facility in San Pedro. The mammoth, above ground tanks are tantalizing and easy soft targets for terrorism. Considering that the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach rank high on the known list of terrorist targets, this site leaps to the fore as a premiere opportunity.
The facility was acquired by “Plains All American Pipeline” (a fortune 500 company) when the former operators, Amerigas, were unable to renew their lease on the Port’s wharf for ocean transport in 2008.
A single ship can transport 7 million gallons of liquid energy gas. Great profits were lost when the sea shipping option ended for Amerigas. However, “Plains” was then, and is now, in the development phase of a new Crude Oil terminal on Pier 400 at the Port of LA, under the name Pacific LA Marine.
It is only logical that Plains/Rancho is looking to the opportunity of shipping LPG once again through the Port of LA. Attempting to establish an LPG shipping opportunity like this … without a “grandfathered” situation like this one … would be virtually impossible.
India is currently in the process of implementing a similar project. Their plan calls for the creation of a facility location to be sited 6 miles off shore. This is the only sensible action considering the high danger associated with these operations. Los Angeles must demand the same of Plains.
Meanwhile, community activists in San Pedro continue to fight for the security that most people blindly assume is being provided them by government oversight.
What eludes common logic is “why” the City of LA is not worried about the overwhelming liability of this incredible potential for disaster, and “why” they would be so readily willing to sacrifice the economic engine of the State of California.
What is the reason for the City of LA and government officials across the board to protect and insulate this particular company? What is so important that public safety takes a back seat?
Meanwhile, the facility presents a worst case blast radius (under EPA calculations of 1 tank rupture) of 3 miles, with an estimation of 27,000 potential victims. If one blows, does that not mean that they “all” go?
San Pedro and surrounding communities currently sit poised on the precipice of a hellacious inferno.
(Janet Gunter is a long time community activist and member of the San Pedro Peninsula Homeowners United Inc. Connie Rutter is a retired oil industry environmental consultant. Both are members of Citizens for Responsible & Equal Environmental Protection (CREEP). The SPPHU was one of the litigants in the successful China Shipping lawsuit that was represented by the NRDC in 2001-2003 on the issue of air pollution and aesthetics. )
-cw
Tags: Janet Gunter, Connie Rutter, Port of LA. Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, San Pedro, Petrolane, LPG, propane, explosion, high risk
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 55
Pub: July 10, 2012