Sounding off against Broadwater project
I'm ony starting ot become familiar with this. Any thoughts?
from newsday.com
Pols sounding off against Broadwater project
Environmentalists and politicians opposed to the liquefied natural gas terminal proposed for Long Island Sound exhorted concerned residents Tuesday to make their voices heard before it's too late.
They also called on Gov. Eliot Spitzer to come out against the 1,200-foot-long terminal proposed by Broadwater Energy Corp., of Houston, which would float about 10 miles north of Wading River.
Federal regulators are holding public meetings about the terminal this week. If approved by federal regulators and the state, construction would begin next year and operations in 2011.
"This week is an important week, it's a little bit scary in some ways," said Sid Bail of the Anti-Broadwater Coalition, composed of dozens of environmental and civic groups, as he urged the more than 100 residents at Port Jefferson Village Center to speak up at the hearings.
"We will show that ... the costs of Broadwater clearly outweigh the bogus benefits," he said.
Gathered in a conference room overlooking the Sound, activists and politicians said the terminal could endanger the Sound's aquaculture, attract terrorists and imperil a Long Island treasure.
"We don't need this oversized gas grill floating on Long Island Sound," said Suffolk County Legis. Edward P. Romaine (R-Center Moriches) to the cheers and claps of the placard-toting crowd, which spilled from the seats to line the walls.
"Where will the resources needed to secure this terminal and incoming shipments come from?" asked Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), via a taped feed. "Who will bear the burden of first response should an accident occur?"
Broadwater official Amy Kelley said Tuesday that comprehensive reports had shown the terminal could be built without affecting Long Islanders' use of the Sound.
She also questioned the validity of concerns about the terminal's safety.
"It puzzles me that people are worried about [liquefied natural gas] when LNG's been operating safely around the world for 45 years," she said, "yet we have uninspected cargo containers travel through the Long Island Sound on a daily basis."
Her arguments were unlikely to sway those at the rally, who by turns called the terminal an "eyesore" and reminisced about summers on the Sound.
"Having that platform out there would radically change what the Long Island Sound is about," said Anthony Coates, 46, an investment banker from Riverhead. "You put up the terminal, what's next? A Dunkin' Donuts to serve the terminal?"
