The South Bay has many attractions that lure people here from all over the world. Whether it is our sun, sand, surf, celebrities or movie studios, the vast majority of visitors will enter through our region's international gateway: Los Angeles International Airport.
The fifth-busiest passenger airport and sixth-busiest cargo airport in the world, since 1974, LAX has been the target of two bombings, two attempted bombings (including the Millennium Bomber) and a fatal handgun attack.

Although LAX officials have implemented some important security measures after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, such as creating an on-site bomb squad and screening all baggage, the airport is still considered the top terrorist target in California.
Unfortunately, a proposal before the city of Los Angeles would place a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Santa Monica Bay just off the coast of LAX.
Natural gas would be transported from a submersible terminal through pipelines along the ocean floor to landfall along the airport's edge.

The proposal by Australian-owned Woodside Natural Gas, dubbed the OceanWay Secure Energy project, is just one of several for LNG terminals along the West Coast. Although LNG is likely an important part of California's energy future, unlike the other proposed projects, this is the only one that would place a new natural gas supply adjacent to a major terrorist target.

Locating a natural gas terminal next to LAX when alternate sites exist brings to mind the David Bowie lyric "putting out fire with gasoline."

To do so would make this already attractive target even more attractive, since such an attack could not only cause loss of life but also cripple air traffic nationally, interrupt fuel supplies for California and disrupt the regional economy.

In June, four men were indicted in New York on suspicion that they planned to blow up a system of jet fuel tanks that supply JFK airport through a network of pipelines. These pipelines are buried below the streets serving densely populated areas.
A similar underground network exists in Los Angeles to deliver natural gas to homes and businesses.

Although no explosives had been purchased to carry out the JFK plot, the suspects conducted extensive surveillance of the airport, and there is evidence that they attempted to reach out to other al Qaida-inspired terrorists.

Had their attack succeeded, the focus would now be on fuel supplies and pipelines in and around airports across America.

Thankfully, the plot was foiled.

But we must be vigilant about the threat of a similar plot at our largest airport.

In an era of loosely affiliated, horizontally connected terrorist groups, the possibility of an attack on U.S. soil is highly likely. We should be doing everything in our power to reduce risk - not adding lighter fluid to the barbecue.

Let's not make the bull's-eye on LAX's back even bigger.

Now in her seventh term, South Bay Rep. Jane Harman leads the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing & Terrorism Risk Assessment.