The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Broadwater Energy L.L.C.”™s proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Long Island Sound would have only a minor adverse impact on the environment, a key declaration for the project to proceed.
The floating terminal would be moored 10 miles south of New Haven, taking shipments of chilled, liquefied natural gas (LNG), converting it to vapor form, and pumping 1 billion cubic feet daily on average into a new undersea pipeline for delivery to the tri-state region. Two to three LNG tankers would enter Long Island Sound weekly.
Broadwater says the project would cut the average homeowner”™s heating bill by $300.
FERC”™s commissioners have yet to make a final vote on the proposal. Gov. Jodi Rell said her administration will continue fighting the project and said federal law requires FERC to wait 30 days after the release of the environmental impact statement before issuing any permit for a facility.
Last year Exxon Mobil Corp. proposed anchoring an LNG terminal 20 miles off the coast of New Jersey, which Connecticut officials say should render the Broadwater depot unnecessary.
“The Broadwater project would be a travesty ”“ the complete desecration of Connecticut”™s environmental crown jewel and a total setback to the decades we have spent improving water quality and habitat in the Sound,” Rell said, in a written statement. “Let”™s not kid ourselves ”“ all of this will change Long Island Sound forever.”
Other agencies contributing to the final environmental impact statement included the U.S. Coast Guard; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the National Marine Fisheries Service; and the New York Department of State.
