JANUARY 2, 2008, FARMINGVILLE, NEW YORK – Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley today sent a letter of support to New York Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Peter B. Grannis and local DEC Region chief Peter Scully for the Department’s “Notice of Incomplete Action,” taking Broadwater Energy to task for ignoring key environmental considerations in its proposal to construct a large, industrial Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility in eastern Long Island Sound.

    “The DEC identified a number of concerns and omissions in Broadwater’s application,” Supervisor Foley began.  “We are gratified to see such tough issues--the backfilling of the 22-mile trench between the facility and shore; the death of more than 270 million larvae and young fish; and a lack of alternative locations--identified by the DEC as serious omissions.

    “DEC is stepping up to the plate and asking tough questions and expecting complete answers,” Mr. Foley concluded.  “We applaud their position on such a critical issue--the ecological health of one of Long Island’s greatest natural resources, the Long Island Sound.”  

   Councilwoman Jane Bonner, newly elected to the 2nd Council District, the district nearest to the proposed facility, has also long been an opponent of the project. She, too, was encouraged by the DEC’s letter.

   “For the last several years, I have joined with residents of the 2nd Council District to oppose this outrageous plan,” Councilwoman Bonner said. “This decision by the DEC is welcome news and brings us one step closer toward preserving the health and safety of the Long Island Sound.”

    Brookhaven Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld, whose district includes Port Jefferson Harbor, one of the Sound’s pre-eminent maritime resources, also lauded the DEC for its action.  “One fact about Broadwater has been clear from the beginning: Long Island Sound is too valuable a resource to endanger with an industrial project of this magnitude.  It should never have been even considered for placement here," the Councilman said.

    Supervisor Foley has long stood strongly against the Broadwater Energy’s proposal to construct and operate a liquefied natural gas terminal nine miles north of Riverhead, in Long Island Sound.  The facility, which would be 1,215 feet long, would hold approximately eight billion cubic feet of LNG and service at least three giant LNG tankers a week.  It is, according to Mr. Foley, “The wrong thing in the wrong place.”

    “Brookhaven Town’s citizens use the Sound for recreation, many earn their livelihood on its waters, and the health of the Sound’s living resources is of paramount concern,” said Mr. Foley.

    “I’m encouraged to see the state take such a tough stand,” he concluded.

Office of the Supervisor
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