Texas, Virginia Companies Win Dismantling Contracts
According to a report from the Contra Costa Times, Ship recycling facilities in Texas and Virginia have been awarded dismantling contracts for three more Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet mothball vessels. Esco Marine, of Brownsville, Texas, was given the award to recycle the SS Dawn for about $551,000 and the USNS H.H. Hess for about $452,000. The SS Bay's $397,000 dismantling contract, has been awarded to the Bay Bridge Enterprises in Chesapeake, Va. (Source: Contra Costa Times)
Chevron LNG Plan Advances
According to reports, Chevron Corp. cleared a hurdle in its quest to develop the multibillion-dollar Gorgon LNG project off Australia's western coast after agreeing to support environmental programs to protect a vulnerable species of turtle and other wildlife. The Gorgon venture, which is led by San Ramon-based Chevron, will provide about $26 million to conserve the flatback turtle, the state of Western Australia said. Four of the projects, including Gorgon, are overseas. The one domestic project among the top five is in the Gulf of Mexico, Cooper said. The cost of the project could range from $11.8b to $14.2 billion, according to published reports. Chevron owns 50 percent of the venture, and Shell and Exxon each have 25 percent.
State Could Require Permits for Suisun Bay Ship Cleaning
California water quality regulators are close to ordering the U.S. Maritime Administration to obtain state permits and monitor for pollution when it cleans the hulls of obsolete ships from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, government documents show. State regulators became involved in August that hull cleaning was occurring in Richmond without notice to state and local authorities and a later report that government documents show the work left metals and lead paint in the Bay. Now, new documents show that Maritime Administration officials ignored state requests to observe the cleaning last month of another ship in Alameda. No final regional water board decision has been made on whether to regulate the hull cleanings.
Congress Closes Concord Navy Base
Closing down the inland portion of the Concord Naval Weapons Station became final as Congress approved President Bush's recommendation to shut down 22 major military bases and realign another 33 in a cost-cutting move that will save the Pentagon about $4 billion a year, according to a Contra Costa Times report. The station shut down is different from any other base closure experts can recall in two ways: Local officials lobbied for the shut down and essentially no jobs will be lost. Shutting down the base will be a multi-year process that will involve sales to developers and planning meetings where residents, business leaders, environmentalists and others will have input on the land's future. Source: The Contra Costa Times
