Two new proposals by international energy companies to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on the Baja California coastline are drawing opposition from environmentalists and tourism operators who charge the projects will threaten coastal resources. The projects, intended to help quench nearby Southern California’s thirst for energy, also are being criticized on grounds they’re receiving Mexican government support without having first been presented to local communities. Late last month, Royal Dutch-Shell confirmed that it intends to build a terminal near Ensenada to receive overseas shipments of liquefied natural gas. The $500 million project is set for completion in 2006. A month earlier, Houston-based Marathon Oil Company had unveiled plans to build a $900 million liquefied natural gas complex just south of Tijuana. That... [Log in to read more]