I thought LNG was no more dangerous that any other gas. I was wrong.
I was surprised when I found out that LNG expands to 600 times its size when it is released into the air.
A LNG fire cannot be put out with water, it has to burn out.
Past disasters have shown it's dangers far exceed those of gas and diesel.
Other communities have stopped it from being transported on their streets.
In Savannah, LNG was agreed to only be piped and NOT trucked when the tanks where installed. They are trying to change the deal.
LNG trucks carry only $5M in coverage. That can easily be inadequate.
I represent families in truck crashes, with no explosion, that the financial losses far exceed $5M. One example is a wreck that killed the mother, daughter and crippled the minor son with over $3M in medical costs. Imagine a whole City block being burned and multiple deaths.
If a crash and explosion was caused by a drunk driver or some intentional or terrorist act, the $5M would not even be available for all the harms and losses. Even though LNG is very dangerous the truck driver would have to be negligent for the insurance to cover the wreck.
Please attend the free meeting and learn a little more about LNG and what other communities have learned.
Please read the SMN story here: http://savannahnow.com/news/2011-04-29/forum-explores-who-pays-lng-accid...
Several attorneys are volunteering their time to educate the public on various types of insurance and explain the exclusions and pitfalls of each one. Any questions will be addressed free of charge. It should be very interesting.
I hope to meet and talk with you at the forum
Make it Great day!
Howard Spiva
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Forum explores who pays in LNG accident
Savannah Morning News
Posted: April 29, 2011 - 11:13pm | Updated: April 30, 2011 - 8:13am
By Mary Landers
Savannahians, especially those along the DeRenne corridor, have been concerned for months about a proposal to transport up to 58 tanker truckloads a day of liquefied natural gas across that busy road.
Discussion has focused largely on what physical harm would ensue if a truck coming out of Southern LNG’s Elba Island terminal spilled its cargo and the super-chilled methane were released and caught fire. The route passes hospitals and schools in a densely populated area. Local emergency managers worry the recommended evacuation zone of up to one mile would be impossible to comply with.
Now a local advocacy group, Citizens for Clean Air and Water, is focusing on the financial consequences of an LNG trucking accident. In an “LNG Insurance Forum” at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Candler Hospital’s Marsh Auditorium, attorney Clete Bergen, the president of CCAW, will address exceptions to life insurance policies as they could apply to the consequences of an LNG truck accident.
Attorney Howard Spiva will address the same issue for homeowners’ and commercial real estate insurance.
Attorney George Lewis will discuss the standard liability insurance policy covering LNG tanker trucks and Attorney Mark Tate will tackle the question of who could be liable if an LNG fire causes personal injury or property damage.
A large number of entities could share that responsibility, from the truck driver to the manufacturer of the valves on the truck to the LNG companies and their subsidiaries, Tate said.
“They’re going to be pointing at each other,” he said. “Meanwhile the citizens of Savannah who live along the route will be left putting things back together and going to funerals.”
Tami Gerke, spokeswoman for Southeast LNG, the start-up trucking company formed by natural gas giants AGL Resources and El Paso Corp., said the company will “carry insurance for our operations that significantly exceeds federal and state mandatory coverage requirements.” By how much it will exceed is proprietary information, she said.
Tate holds that LNG trucking is a mistake.
“If the companies were forced to pay the full cost associated with what they’re doing they would find a cheaper way do it, like pipelines or ships,” he said. “Putting flammable material in trucks going past churches and hospitals is asinine.”
LNG INSURANCE FORUM
• Sponsored by Citizens for Clean Air and Water
• 7 p.m. Tuesday at Candler Hospital’s Marsh Auditorium
• Free and open to the public
• For more information, call 233-8001 or email CCAWSavannah@gmail.com
http://savannahnow.com/news/2011-04-29/forum-explores-who-pays-lng-accid...
