Markey: Step Up Security Around Natural Gas Shipments To Everett

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey is asking President Barack Obama to order the U.S. Coast Guard to review security procedures for shipments of natural gas from Yemen to terminals near Boston.

The Massachusetts Democrat said increased terrorism activity in the Middle East region warrant stepped-up security of deliveries of natural gas to the facilities in Everett.

Markey, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has long pointed to the natural gas facilities as a potential terrorist target.

In a letter to Obama, Markey says security threats in Yemen raise what he calls real questions about whether it's safe and reliable for tankers to continue delivering shipments to the Everett LNG terminal.

The U.S. embassies in Yemen and other Middle East countries were evacuated under the threat of a possible terrorist attack.