Baxley wants Riley to delay decision on LNG terminal

The Mobile Press-Register ^ | 06/01/2006 | Sallie Owen

[AzaleaCity5691]

Baxley wants Riley to delay decision on LNG terminal Thursday, June 01, 2006 By SALLIE OWEN Capital Bureau MONTGOMERY -- Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley called on Gov. Bob Riley to delay his decision on a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal for six months, which would be after the November general election.

"The governor should not rush to make any decision about the project without complete knowledge of its impact on the marine habitat off the Alabama coast," said Baxley in a statement released Wednesday. The proposed facility would be located south of Dauphin Island.

Baxley is a candidate for governor in Tuesday's Democratic Party primary. Riley, a Republican seeking re-election, said the lieutenant governor is trying to help, but he has to make a decision by June 11.

"She needs to understand that she doesn't understand what she's talking about," Riley said.

The governor has until June 11 to veto the Alabama project; otherwise, it likely will receive approval from the federal government, which already has approved three similar terminals.

ConocoPhillips is seeking federal approval to build a concrete island 11 miles south of Dauphin Island to use as a docking facility for ships importing up to $2 billion worth of frozen natural gas annually, according to Press-Register calculations.

The company wants to use seawater to heat the frozen natural gas, and officials at the world's No. 4 oil and gas company have signaled their reluctance to switch to another heating method if Riley turns them down.

During a trip to Mobile last week, the governor hinted that he would veto the project.

Riley said Wednesday that he will meet with ConocoPhillips before making a decision.

[AzaleaCity5691]

This is nothing more than a parlor trick by our illustrious Lieutenant Governor, who is on shaky ground with this idea that she's even gonna win the Democratic Primary. She doesn't hold the margins over Siegelman that Riley holds over Moore. But at any rate, the reason that this is nothing more than a parlor trick. The reason Baxley wants the decision delayed is because she knows the federal government will likely approve the facility if Riley "delays" the decision, and that will be very unpopular in an area Riley has to win in order to be re-elected. There is no doubt in my mind right now that Riley is going to veto the facility and that will be the last we'll hear from Conoco-Phillips on the subject. Ms. "I Love Lucy" just wants Riley to delay so that the feds will approve the plant so she can pick up votes in the Bay area, that's what this is all about.

[jra]

Translation: Please don't hog the spotlight, governor, whilst I try to plead for votes.

[The Old Hoosier]

After last week's testimony, she's gonna win that primary -- probably without a runoff.

[AzaleaCity5691]

I'll admit, it looks good for her, but somehow, when the local TV station does their polls here, she's still in a statistical dead heat. Granted, Siegelman is from here, which in general leads to more support for him off the top, but I still just get the sense that he's right in his assumption that blacks will carry the election for him. The only reason there would be for whites to vote in that primary here, for example, is because Tyson is running in the AG's race, and I don't see how he's going to lose that one seeing as Darby is an anti-Semitic racist, who, for a bonus, is also our state's leading Atheist. The Democrat who has raised the most money in the Sheriff's race has still raised less than the Republican who has raised the least. This year will actually be the first time since I've voted that I'll be able to support the Republican candidate in the general election for Sheriff.

I also thinks the gay marriage ban helps out Siegelman, because the Democrats who that will bring to the polls are going to be more the people Siegelman's going after, I am starting to think Baxley wins the nomination, but it's not going to be a blow out, that's a race that goes down to the wire. I do think that the polls showing Riley winning with 70% are overblown because Windom was polling within reach up until election night, when he completely got smoked, even in his home territory. But then again, I still believe Riley wins with a comfortable margin, both the primary and the actual election.