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Looking into the future the Pelican feeding its young from a self-induced wound in its own breast (as depicted, mysteriously, on the state flag of Louisiana) is accepted as an appropriate symbol of both self-sacrifice and rebirth. Through his selfless efforts, man is raised from the slavery of ignorance to the condition of freedom conferred by wisdom. Given the current state of affairs in Louisiana, one hopes that the understanding of the Pelican as a symbol shall point the way towards a new consciousness of ourselves as a whole, and lead us to face our futures with strength, grace, wisdom and faith, to learn from our mistakes and carry our successes and zest for living to future generations.

Gumbo Alliance, National Sierra Club President Tell Shell: No Fish For Fuel

  1. May 13, 2005
  2. New Orleans, LA
  3. Source: Gulf Restoration Network

Recreational and commercial fishermen, shrimpers, and environmental groups have joined together to stop open-loop liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the Gulf. Calling themselves the “Gumbo Alliance for Safe LNG,” this unusual group have set aside their past clashes on fisheries management to protect the resources of the Gulf from this developing threat. Coinciding with an international LNG conference being held in New Orleans, a procession of recreational fishing boats, many with large signs emblazoned with slogans such as “Stop the Shell Games” and “No Fish for Fuel,” headed from the Convention Center, past the International LNG Conference being held at the Ritz-Carlton, and ended at One Shell Square. At One Shell Square, representatives of each member of the group spoke to members of the media with a clear, consistent message: open-loop LNG terminals in the Gulf are not acceptable.

The group is targeting Shell Corporation because it recently received a permit to operate an open-loop LNG terminal 38 miles off Louisiana’s Cameron Parish coast. The facility could destroy as much as the equivalent of 3.8 percent of Louisiana’s annual redfish catch and could have unknown but severe impacts on shrimp, crabs, and other important fisheries.

Larry Fahn, the National President of the Sierra Club, came to New Orleans to announce the Sierra Club’s national support of the Gumbo Alliance’s boycott of Shell Corporation. Said Fahn, “Shell can afford to do this the right way. It is coming out of its most profitable year in history, during which it racked up $1.8 million dollars an hour in profit. Shell can’t afford to use 1.6% of its imported natural gas to protect the Gulf’s fish?”

A. J. Fabre, President of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, pointed out, “Off-shore LNG terminals don’t have to be a bad thing. We would all like more affordable energy. But Shell and the other corporations seeking to operate off-shore LNG terminals are all ignoring the practical alternative of closed-loop technology. LNG in the Gulf must be closed-loop.” <

Mike Lane, Publisher of the sportsman website RodNReel.com, has been active in the campaign from the start. “My website has helped generate over 2,000 responses to Shell from concerned sportsmen – they all want to know the same thing: Why is it that a sports fisherman can face jail time and a fine of $500 per fish for possessing redfish in federal waters, but Shell has approval to kill every redfish egg and larvae that enters its open-loop system? It defies common-sense.”

The originator of the effort to boycott Shell, Charlie Smith, the Director of the Louisiana Charter Boat Association, added, “Some people cringe at the idea of a boycott, but the boycott was a vital first step in the creation of America. This is our updated version of the Boston Tea Party. We’re not against Shell Oil, we’re against the open loop LNG process and the damage that fisheries managers agree it will do to our fishery. When Shell changes to the safer alternative, we’ll quit. Until then, we’re going to fight.”

The groups have targeted Shell due in part to its history in Louisiana. Aaron Viles of the Gulf Restoration Network pointed out that “from Shell’s pollution of Bayou Trepagnier to its treatment of the Diamond community just across the fence line from its Norco refinery, Shell’s track record hasn’t been impressive. A few years ago we sat down with Shell in a formal stakeholder process to clear the air and hear Shell’s plans to turn over a new leaf. Well, besides the money Shell has donated to the America’s Wetland campaign, it seems to be the same-old Shell: profit first, sustainability a distant second.”

At the conclusion of the press conference, the groups unfurled a scroll of over 2,000 petition signatures demanding that Shell Gas and Power Corporation abandon its plans to develop an open-loop LNG terminal.

BACKGROUND

Imported natural gas, shipped to the U.S. in a -260°F liquefied form, needs to be warmed to be “re-gasified,” and then delivered to the existing gas pipeline infrastructure. Seven of the 22 facilities proposed for the Western Gulf intend to use an open-rack vaporizer, or open-loop system, running Gulf seawater through radiator-like racks. One terminal alone could use up to 200 million gallons of Gulf water a day to “re-gasify” the natural gas.

The drastic temperature change and physical damage caused by the process will destroy fish eggs and larva by the billions.

Because the open-loop LNG facilities are proposed for areas that are considered essential fish habitat for a vast range of Gulf sea life, fisheries managers from the National Marine Fisheries Services, the Gulf States Marine Fish Commission, and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council are unified in their opposition to the use of the open-loop system due to the potentially significant cumulative impacts these facilities could have on critical fisheries such as red fish, shrimp, crabs, and others.

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