Gail -- I’ve just found a current assessment of US LNG import potential. Not a lot of supporting details but does seem to have a handle on the situation. His bottom line: LNG won’t be playing a big role for the US anytime soon. Now if the NG companies would just believe that.

http://www.petroleum-economist.com/default.asp?page=14&PubID=46&ISS=2535...

“And development of import capacity continues, although the pace of construction has slowed down. In 2008, three new terminals started operations, increasing US import capacity to about 9.1bn cf/d. In addition, three new terminals are expected to start up by 2010, which, combined with capacity expansions at existing terminals, will raise import capacity to well above 13bn cf/d.”

“Domestic gas-supply growth and sustained lower US gas prices will make it difficult for LNG to penetrate North American markets. Even during periods of volume influxes, US imports have never accounted for more than 3.5% of annual gas supply. Consequently, LNG will remain a marginal US gas-supply source in the short term, accounting for less than 5% of gas consumption.”