Sound Gas Terminal Face-Off Growing

By Bill Cummings, Connecticut Post, Bridgeport

Jan. 15–Connecticut’s congressional delegation is joining a growing chorus of opposition to the proposed Broadwater floating gas terminal in Long Island Sound.

U.S. Sens. Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman joined the state’s five congressmen, including U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays — the only Republican member from New England — in condemning the $1 billion gas terminal proposed for New York waters, about 15 miles from Milford.

Also voicing opposition are U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Christopher Murphy and Joseph Courtney, all Democrats.

“We have grave concerns about the impact this permanent structure would have on the long-term health and vitality of Long Island Sound,” the delegation said in a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is reviewing the project.

FERC is scheduled Tuesday night to hold the last Connecticut public hearing on the Broadwater venture. A similar hearing last week in New London drew hundreds of opponents, along with a few supporters.

The FERC hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Branford High School auditorium, 185 E. Main St.

At 6 p.m., Broadwater opponents Save the Sound and the Connecticut Fund for the Environment will hold a protest rally outside the auditorium. Organizers said hundreds of people are expected.

“The future of Long Island Sound is being decided,” said Leah Schmalz, legal affairs director for Save the Sound.

“It’s our water, not Broadwater. It’s important for anyone who can get to the rally to join us in protecting our regional heritage.”

Save the Sound is offering free roundtrip bus rides from Westport and Milford to the Branford meeting. The bus departs at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday from the commuter parking lot off exit 18 on Interstate 95 in Westport. It will pick up more passengers at 4:45 p.m. at the commuter lot off exit 40 in Milford.

At four football fields in length — roughly the size of the Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner, the world’s largest — the Broadwater terminal on a clear day would be visible to tens of thousands of residents in New York state and Connecticut.

It’s proposed for New York waters, about nine miles from Long Island and 11 miles from this state, directly off Branford. The terminal would receive shipments of liquefied natural gas, which would be converted to a gaseous state and pumped through new pipelines under the Sound into New York and Connecticut.

As tankers ply the Sound to bring gas to the terminal, “no-go” zones measuring miles in diameter would be enforced by armed Coast Guard cutters. A similar “no-go” zone would be permanently maintained around the terminal.

Broadwater officials say the 1 billion cubic feet of gas that would move through the terminal daily will save consumers as much as $400 a year in heating costs, and help alleviate an expected energy deficit in the region for years to come.

Opponents see the project as an unwanted industrialization of the Sound, a potential environmental disaster and an inconvenience for commercial ships, fishermen and recreational boaters.

The conflict pits oil companies against an array of political leaders, including some potential presidential candidates. Broadwater is a joint venture between Shell Oil and the TransCanada Corp.

In addition to Dodd and Lieberman, Sen. Hillary Clinton from New York is opposed to the plan. Dodd has declared his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president, and Clinton, also a Democrat, is expected to soon declare her candidacy.

Supporting the project is former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a Republican also mulling a run for president. Giuliani’s security company works for Broadwater. Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, a Republican, is opposed, while New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer, a former state attorney general who made a name for himself taking on big corporations and Wall Street, has yet to offer his opinion.

In a letter to FERC, the state’s congressional delegation noted the Sound is owned by the citizens of Connecticut and New York. “Throughout time, both states have taken this responsibility seriously and have acted to preserve and protect the Sound for present and future generations,” the delegation wrote.

“It is our contention that a facility such as Broadwater would be a violation of that public trust. The Broadwater facility would, in effect, remove a large portion of the waters and seabed of the Sound from public access,” the delegation said.

Along with FERC’s approval, the Broadwater project also needs several key permits in New York state. Connecticut officials are likely to sue if FERC approves the venture, as well as attempt to review the venture themselves.

Bill Cummings, who covers regional issues, can be reached at 330-6230.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Connecticut Post, Bridgeport

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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