GEEZERPOWER

Could be that the Ports Deal is more about Big Money and business deals than just a business deal. The United Arab Emirates, is among other things the 5th. largest producer of natural gas, and is involved in the liquified natural gas business. Would it be a good thing for the AUE to be shipping liquified natural gas and owning the ports that it is shipped to? Is it safe to ship this stuff, knowing that it is highly explosive under the right conditions. Most of the ports in the US don't want ships or tanks full of Liquified Natural Gas anywhere near them, yet George Bush asks for government controls as to where to locate them.

Bush Touts Technology to Solve America's Energy Problems
NewsMax.com Wires
Thursday, April 28, 2005

While Bush lamented America's heavy reliance on foreign energy, he also called for aggressive expansion of imports of liquefied natural gas. He said Congress should make clear the federal government has final say over locating LNG import terminals, even when states or communities object to projects.
There are 32 proposed LNG import projects on the books and federal regulators "must expedite their review," Bush said. Four import facilities operate in Massachusetts, Georgia, Maryland and Louisiana.
"It's time for America to start building again," he said.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): "The oil-rich United Arab Emirates is a major investor in The Carlyle Group, the private equity investment firm where President Bush's father once served as senior adviser and is a who's who of former high-level government officials. Just last year, Dubai International Capital, a government-backed buyout firm, invested in an $8 billion Carlyle fund.
Another family connection, the president's brother, Neil Bush, has reportedly received funding for his educational software company from the UAE investors. A call to his company was not returned.
Then there is the cabinet connection. Treasury Secretary John Snow ["whose department heads the federal panel that signed off on the $6.8 billion sale of an English company to government-owned Dubai Ports World - giving it control of Manhattan's cruise ship terminal and Newark's container port." --Knight Ridder] was chairman of railroad company CSX/. After he left the company for the White House, CSX sold its international port operations to Dubai Ports World for more than a billion dollars....
Another administration connection, President Bush chose a Dubai Ports World executive to head the U.S. Maritime Administration. David Sanborn, the former director of Dubai Ports' European and Latin American operations, he was tapped just last month to lead the agency that oversees U.S. port operations.

A LNG port is planned near the mouth of the Columbia River here in Oregon, but I don't think it will happen. We'll fight it tooth & nail. I would rather see windmills in the Columbia Gorge, than see a disaster that is just waiting to happen.

ASTORIA OREGON