Connecticut Long Island Sound LNG Task Force Continues Review of Broadwater

HARTFORD, CT – The Connecticut Long Island Sound LNG Task Force, co-chaired by state Senators Len Fasano (R-North Haven) and Andrea Stillman (D-Waterford), convened today to review the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) environmental impact study (EIS) of the proposed Broadwater liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. The Senators said the EIS lacked the information necessary to support its conclusion that the Broadwater proposal would not have a significant adverse environmental impact on Long Island Sound.

“Connecticut and New York have a responsibility to protect Long Island Sound. More than 10% of the U.S. population live within its watershed and depend on it for economic, educational and recreational purposes,” said Senator Fasano. “The long-term consequences of LNG terminals are under studied and largely unknown. If approved, the Broadwater project will be the largest floating LNG terminal in the world. It is irresponsible of FERC to have submitted its final report when so many questions remain unanswered.”

“FERC’s tacit approval of the Broadwater LNG proposal is both ill-conceived and short-sighted, because it unnecessarily imperils the ecological and economic fortunes of both Connecticut and New York, and because it accelerates movement toward what would be an irreversible commitment to an outdated energy model,” said Senator Stillman.

In January 2007, in the wake of FERC’s draft EIS, the Task Force submitted a list of questions and recommendations for FERC to address in order to determine the public safety and environmental impact of Broadwater. Today, Senators Fasano and Stillman led the task force through a one-hour point-by-point analysis of how the EIS addressed each of the issues the task force raised in 2007. The Task Force also heard testimony today from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and East Haven Mayor April Capone Almon.

The Task Force’s next hearing is scheduled for February 25, during which time several environmental experts will testify. At the conclusion of the February 25 hearing, the task force will file formal comments with FERC and/or the New York Department of State.