MALIBU, Calif. -- Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan and other
celebrities gathered Sunday to protest a natural gas facility
proposed for a site 14 miles off the Malibu coast.
"We have to use our voices and band together and stop this," said
Oscar winner Halle Berry.
The gathering -- also attended by Cindy Crawford, Jane Seymour,
Dick Van Dyke and Tea Leoni -- was intended to raise awareness
about how the energy industry has invested billions to liquefy and
ship natural gas across oceans.
There are five facilities proposed for California, with three
along the Southern California coastline. One of the world's
largest energy companies, Australian-based BHP Billiton, is
seeking to build the terminal off the coast of Malibu and Oxnard.
A decision is expected next year.
BHP officials say the terminals would provide a reliable source of
low-polluting energy. Opponents, however, say the terminals would
not meet clean air requirements and could be terrorist targets.
Brosnan, who hosted the protest, said his opposition to the
terminals extends beyond the beach in his backyard. He plans to
oppose other proposed terminals, including one in Long Beach and
one in Port Hueneme.
Mark Massara, a lawyer and director of the Sierra Club's
California Coastal Program, said the recent celebrity interest in
the terminals has helped their cause tremendously.
"This is the greatest thing that has happened to our effort," he
said. "We have struggled over the last three years."
Following a pancake breakfast, dozens of surfers, including
actress Daryl Hannah on her pink board, paddled out to a sign
bobbing in the water. The message to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger,
who has the power to veto the proposal, had a picture of the
proposed terminal with a red line through it and the words:
"Terminate it!"
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