Members of the Connecticut Delegation Praise Decisions to Block Natural Gas Terminal in Long Island Sound

CONTACT: Bryan DeAngelis (Dodd) 202-224-5372

Erika Masonhall (Lieberman)

202-224-4041

Adriana Surfas (DeLauro)

202-225-1599

Brian Farber (Courtney)

202-225-2105

Kristen Bossi (Murphy)

202-225-4476

Elizabeth Kerr (Himes)

202-225-5541

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the Connecticut Congressional Delegation praised today's decision from the Department of Commerce to uphold the State of New York's objection to the proposed construction and operation of a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal that would be located in Long Island Sound. Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), Representatives Joe Courtney (D-CT2), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT3), Jim Himes (D-CT4) and Chris Murphy (D-CT5), along with other members of Congress and numerous environmental groups have long opposed the siting of an LNG facility off of the coast of Connecticut.

"This is great news for the residents of Connecticut and New York," said Dodd. "This project should have been rejected long before it reached this point, but I am grateful that the Commerce Department recognized that the Long Island Sound is a treasure shared by the people of Connecticut and New York that should be preserved. I have been and will continue to strongly oppose the construction of this facility in Long Island Sound and I strongly urge Broadwater to stop pursuing the project."

"I have long opposed plans to dock the Broadwater re-gasification facility in the middle of Long Island Sound," said Lieberman. "Doing so would harm not only our wildlife and commercial fishing industry, but it would impede our first responders and hinder the recreational use of this precious and treasured estuary. I am relieved that the Commerce Department concluded that the project would do more harm than good. I concur strongly with their finding."

"The decision by the Department of Commerce to uphold the State of New York's objection to the Broadwater facility is welcomed news after our long battle against the industrialization of the Long Island Sound and the increase of our dependence on foreign fuel," said Courtney. "This bipartisan, team effort by our community leaders, state officials and my colleagues in Washington prevailed in ending the ill-conceived, quarter-mile long Broadwater barge that would have endangered Long Island Sound without lowering fuel prices. We need a better approach to energy efficiency and production than the Broadwater proposal offered."

"The Long Island Sound and the communities of Connecticut and New York triumphed today. Commerce Secretary Locke's decision to reject Broadwater Energy's appeal is a recognition that we need to strike a balance between our energy interests and protecting the environment. I am thrilled with today's decision and its reflection of the deeply held views of the citizens of Connecticut and our connection to the Sound as a source of recreational and environmental enjoyment and economic opportunity," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "We are all stewards of our natural resources and must work together to preserve and protect the beauty of the Long Island Sound for generations to come."

"Constructing a floating liquefied natural gas terminal like this in the middle of the treasured Long Island Sound just doesn't make sense, and I am pleased the Department of Commerce agrees with our assessment," said Murphy. "Diversifying our energy supply and lowering prices for consumers won't come easy, but wrongheaded ideas like the Broadwater project only serve to distract us from pursuing smart energy choices that don't disturb our natural treasures."

"The people of Connecticut shouldn't have to choose between energy independence and a clean environment," said Congressman Himes. "The Commerce Department's decision today to protect the Long Island Sound from industrialization should forever put an end to this ill conceived project and ensure that this national treasure is preserved."

The Broadwater LNG facility would offload LNG from supertankers and re-gasify the liquid at a floating terminal anchored in Long Island Sound. In addition to the facility itself and the increased supertanker traffic in the Sound, the facility would require a 25-mile pipeline dug into the bottom of the Sound to connect the facility to the existing Iroquois pipeline. Long Island Sound is a fragile web of sensitive ecosystems and habitats for wildlife. The ruling prevents the issuance of federal permits that would have been necessary for the project to move forward. However, it does not prevent the development of alternative proposals for federal and state review.