Yes, We Have BANANAs

Oh yes, we do. But it may be more a comment on the observer's frustration than on the people of the United States.

BusinessWeek reports that developers of liquified natural gas terminals are being thwarted at every turn -- another example (like the windmill farms of which I have grown so fond) of a domestic energy source being limited.

According to BusinessWeek of March 28, 2005: "From Maine to California, developers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals are facing protests at every turn. With opponents of this critical piece of the nation's gas supply painting horrific scenarios of terrorist attacks and raging infernos, it's easy to understand why. The Northeast has 'gone way past "NIMBY" (not in my backyard),' says Wallace P. Parker Jr., president of energy delivery at KeySpan Corp., which serves 2.6 million customers in New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. In fact, he says, it has gone 'BANANA' -- Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything."

I know there are a few people in every community who want a simple, solid halt to development -- period. I suppose they are BANANAs. But it takes a special kind of big-picture thinker to cozy up next to an LNG plant. From the industry's perspective, it's easy to see why the whole country seems BANANAs. But if we're bananas, perhaps they're simply indulging in sour grapes.

Are their community involvement and participation programs all that they can be?