Mobile, Ala., appears to be the testing ground for new restrictions on energy information. Inquiries into a proposed natural gas plant will test if policies meant to increase security will actually compromise the public’s safety. Immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) began restricting access to information it deemed too sensitive and detailed. This approach culminated with a new rule allowing FERC to control who had access to Critical Energy Infrastructure Information. Many have charged that the rule is overly broad and vague, allowing FERC to restrict information critical to ensuring the accountable and safe operation of energy facilities. Now ExxonMobil is proposing to build a liquefied natural gas plant just south of Mobile, close to residential areas. Residents and other interested parties will be making numerous inquires into the potential risks associated with this plant. This will be the first significant test of whether FERC’s new rule will stifle discussion about safety and environmental concerns. Research on liquefied natural gas indicates that a fire in a single tanker compartment could result in a wall of flames a half-mile wide and hundreds of feet high. If an entire tanker caught fire, people two miles away could suffer second-degree burns. An elementary school and numerous homes are located within one mile of the proposed plant site. An ExxonMobile spokesperson refused to comment on what types of information the corporation might attempt to withhold. Under the new rule, companies label information CEII when submitting it to FERC. The commission then withholds the information from the general public and only grants access to those who it determines have a need to know. The company could try and restrict access to accident planning scenarios and other matters related to possible plant hazards, which companies have long sought to withhold from the public. The policy has already been used by another company, Dominion, to restrict access to the emergency response plan for a liquefied natural gas terminal in Maryland.