State Senate Adopts Legislation Aimed at Broadwater Project

The State Senate today approved legislation that would establishes a 13-member Connecticut task force to monitor the proposal by New York State and Broadwater Energy to construct and operate a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) unit in Long Island Sound. The task force would analyze the environmental, public health, safety, and security implications of the proposal on Connecticut and submit testimony to each regulatory proceeding on the proposal conducted by any federal agency or New York State. State Senator Len Fasano (R-North Haven) was one of the lead proponents of the bill and helped shepherd it through five legislative Committees including the Planning and Development Committee, on which he serves as Ranking Member.

“Long Island Sound is as much a part of Connecticut as it is New York. Although this gigantic facility would technically sit in New York waters, it would be only 11 miles off the coast of Connecticut so it would impact thousands of our state’s citizens,” said Senator Fasano. “With a structure 1200 feet long and 180 feet wide which is about the size of the Queen Mary II, it is only right that our state be allowed to play a more significant role in the process.”

The Broadwater facility would not only store the LNG at -260 F and warm it as needed back to its gaseous form, but also pump it through a new 25-mile underwater pipeline connecting to the Iroquois gas pipeline that runs from Milford, CT to Northport, NY.

“The environmental strain both the facility and the pipeline would place on Long Island Sound is immeasurable. Hundreds of plant and aquatic species could be threatened due to the disruption of their natural living environment,” continued Senator Fasano. ” It is a testament to how valued the Sound is in the eyes of my fellow legislators that this bill received unanimous support throughout the committee process and today on the Senate Floor. I am hopeful that members of the House will concur and swiftly pass the bill into law.”
Senator Fasano is a Minority Leader and represents the 34 th district communities of East Haven, North Haven, and Wallingford.