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
SenatorFasano. “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would be an irreversible commitment to an outdated energy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.
