BHP Billiton's decision to exit the high profile Browse LNG joint venture is a reminder that the proposed location for the giant gas processing plant is not only contentious among environmental and indigenous rights activists.

The prime site under investigation - James Price Point near Broome in WA - has long caused friction within the cluster of companies that are jointly developing the $30 billion project.

The controversy over James Price Point has done nothing to make the project more popular within BHP. Credit:Rob Homer

There has been persistent suggestions that some partners (BHP in particular) would like to save a few pennies by piping the gas south to the existing North West Shelf gas hub, while other partners (namely Shell) have been pushing their new floating LNG technology as an economic way to develop the gas without disturbing the dinosaur footprints that are dotted around the shoreline at James Price Point.