Safety Study

After the August 20 City Council meeting, the council voted to proceed with its own independent health and safety study of the Bechtel-Shell project. Council member Gary Cloutier, who opposed further consideration of the Bechtel-Shell proposal, cast the lone dissenting vote. Within days, Bechtel-Shell offered to fund the study for the city. The city accepted $250,000 from Bechtel-Shell and proceeded to hire Project Manager Thomas Tobin of Thomas Tobin & Associates. The study will cover emissions, LNG dangers, seismic issues, and the potential for a terrorist attack on the LNG facility.

Tobin hopes to complete the study and make recommendations to the council in mid-November, although he has stated several times that the time allotted for the study is insufficient for a project of this magnitude.

Tobin will be working with a subcommittee of Vallejo's Disaster Committee. The five-member subcommittee members are:

• James Fea, environmental engineer
• William Salters, retired fire serviceman
• Franco Ibo, electrical engineer for PG&E
• Donald Salo, retired Berkeley public works employee
• Connie Klimisch, owner of an auto repair business.

Links:
VallejoNews.com: Council Approves LNG Safety Study, 8/21/02
VallejoNews.com: Chief Selects LNG Safety Committee, 9/23/02
VallejoNews.com: LNG Safety Study Outlined, 9/26/02

© 2002 maggdog communications
Photos courtesy of Michael Halberstadt, Joyce Scharf and Friends of VallejoCPR
Page Last Updated Jan 8, 2003
Email: info@VallejoCPR.org