HARRISBURG, March 9, 2006 – State Sen. Michael Stack and Rep. Michael McGeehan recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Boston to see first-hand how liquefied natural gas (LNG) is imported into a major metropolitan area.

“There has been a shortage of solid facts about the Port Richmond LNG terminal proposal,” said Stack (D-Philadelphia). “This trip provided valuable information about how the city of Boston deals with LNG tankers traveling through Boston Harbor.”

As two of Northeast Philadelphia's state legislators, Stack and McGeehan have closely monitored the Philadelphia Gas Works’ proposal to locate an LNG import terminal in Port Richmond.

The U.S. Coast Guard hosted Stack and McGeehan on February 22. The legislators were required to be on board a Coast Guard ship in Boston Harbor at 3 a.m. in 20-degree, February weather to escort an LNG tanker through Boston Harbor and view the unloading of the LNG.

“The escort of an LNG tanker is a major undertaking, and it requires coordination between many federal, state, and local agencies,” said McGeehan. “During deliveries, the agencies work together to protect a variety of assets along the shipping route.”

Stack and McGeehan also toured the Coast Guard command center and received a briefing on the LNG import process.

“I was extremely impressed with the Coast Guard’s operation in Boston,” said McGeehan.

“Coast Guard officials in Philadelphia have stated that they have insufficient manpower to cover a proposed LNG terminal in New Jersey and, at their current staffing level, would be incapable of managing a northeast Philadelphia LNG terminal,” said Stack. “For this reason and due to the fact that the public has yet to hear details on how this project might impact our city, we will continue to fight for the public and ensure they receive critical project information.”

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