(May 26, 2005) -- With the U.S. Senate's Energy & Natural Resources Committee preparing to "markup" (possibly amend) portions of a massive federal Energy bill, LB Mayor Beverly O'Neill has written the Committee "on behalf of the city of Long Beach...to express our strong opposition" the bill's provisions regarding Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), saying LB has "significant concerns that the proposed legislation would substantially reduce the authority of of state and local agencies to make decisions regarding siting and permitting of LNG facilities."

LBReport.com posts the Mayor's May 24 letter in its entirety in pdf form on a link below.

"We support a process that does not negate state and local laws and allows all appropriate parties to be included in the decision-making process. Specifically, the City is concerned that many state and local laws, including the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act, local fire and building regulations and zoning ordinances could be pre-empted under the proposed legislation," Mayor O'Neill writes.

The letter, addressed to the Committee's GOP chair and ranking Dem member, is cc'd to the Committee, CA's two U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein & Barbara Boxer and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Simultaneously, Mayor O'Neill dispatched a separate letter to Senator Feinstein expressing City of LB support for the Senator's proposed amendment to the Energy bill that would allow for concurrent state and federal siting authority for LNG facilities.

LBReport.com likewise posts a copy of the Mayor's letter in full on a link below.

The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to take up the Energy bill's LNG sections later today.

Check back with LBReport.com for coverage of this developing story.

Below in pdf form is Mayor O'Neill's correspondence on behalf of City of LB:

• May 24/05 letter to Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee
• May 24/05 letter to Senator Feinstein