Contact: Linda Krop and Karen Kraus, EDC (805) 963-1622
Susan Jordan, CCPN (805) 637-3037

PIERCE AND KEELY SHAY BROSNAN JOIN THE EFFORTS OF CCPN AND EDC TO STOP THE PROPOSED BHP BILLITON LNG TERMINAL OFF THE COAST OF MALIBU AND OXNARD

Free screening of "An Inconvenient Truth" to be held in Malibu Friday, Sept. 15

Pierce Brosnan will be the featured speaker at an event sponsored by the California Coastal Protection Network, the City of Malibu and the Malibu Surfside News. He and his wife Keely Shay have publicly announced their opposition to the BHP Billiton LNG Terminal and are using the event and the screening to raise awareness and funds for CCPN's and EDC's campaign to stop the project. The Environmental Defense Center represents the California Coastal Protection Network and has conducted the extensive legal and scientific review of the project on CCPN's behalf.

In addition to Brosnan, the event will feature speeches by Susan Jordan, Executive Director of CCPN, and Linda Krop, Chief Counsel of the EDC, and will feature a free outdoor screening of "An Inconvenient Truth," former Vice President Al Gore's film about global warming. The film will be introduced by its producer, Lawrence Bender. The purpose of the event is to alert the public to the link between LNG and global warming, as well as to publicize the BHP Billiton project's other impacts to air and water quality, public safety, wildlife, and coastal views. In-depth briefers prepared by EDC on behalf of CCPN will be available to all attendees.

"LNG is a major threat to our coast, and to the planet as a whole," said Linda Krop. "LNG is a fossil fuel, and a project such as the Cabrillo Port proposal would result in the addition of 25 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere per year, equivalent to 5% of California's total annual greenhouse gas emissions." Karen Kraus, an EDC staff attorney, noted that "LNG is not a "clean energy source;" on the contrary, this project would be the #1 contributor to smog pollution in Ventura County, and would seriously degrade the already sub-standard air quality in both Ventura and Los Angeles Counties."

"I am deeply grateful to the Brosnans for stepping forward and supporting the work of the California Coastal Protection Network and its team of attorneys at the Environmental Defense Center. EDC's legal research and expert review has enabled us to expose the significant problems that the BHP Billiton project poses for the health and safety of the residents of Oxnard and Malibu as well as the considerable threats it poses to our environment," Jordan said.

The event follows the release of a statement signed by over 30 Malibu residents and celebrities (including Martin and Janet Sheen, Barbra Streisand and James Brolin, Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson, Tom Hanks, Michelle and Dick Van Dyke, Kelly and Ron Meyer, and Trudie Styler and Sting) who oppose the Cabrillo Port project, and the City of Malibu's unanimous approval of a resolution opposing the project. The Malibu response joins the efforts by the City of Oxnard and various Ventura County groups to raise public awareness about the dangers and risks posed by building a massive LNG unloading and regasification terminal off our coast. The Mayor of Oxnard, Dr. Tom Holden is expected to send a statement to be read at the event.

LNG is natural gas that is mined overseas and cooled to minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit. In its liquid form, the gas is reduced to 1/600th of its original volume, which makes it more economical to transport. LNG would then transported on supertankers and unloaded onto an offshore permanent floating terminal that would be three football fields long and 14 stories high, where it is "re-gasified" and piped to shore for use.

"LNG perpetuates our dependence on foreign sources of energy, and increases our use of fossil fuels, thereby contributing to the cycle of global warming that threatens the future of our planet," warned Krop. "We need to inform the Governor and our federal government that we cannot afford to open the door to LNG, and that instead we must focus on increasing energy conservation, efficiency, and investments in renewable energy."

The event will be held Friday, September 15, 2006, at 7:00 at Malibu Bluffs Park, 24250 Pacific Coast Highway (located at the intersection of PCH and Malibu Canyon Road). The public is invited to bring their own blankets and lawn chairs. The event is free; donations are appreciated. Immediately prior to the event, there will be a VIP reception at 6:30 at the Michael Landon Center; a $250 minimum contribution is required for the reception. To RSVP for the reception, call 310-230-4210. For more information about the event, see www.coastaladvocates.com. For information about the Cabrillo Port LNG project, see www.edcnet.org or www.coastaladvocates.com.