Connecticut Attorney General's Office
Press Release
Attorney General Says Commerce Department Upholds New York's Broadwater Rejection
April 13, 2009
Today's decision upholds an earlier decision of the New York Secretary of State's Office denying the Broadwater project under New York's Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP).
"This historic ruling by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce should be a final broadside to Broadwater, sinking it forever," Blumenthal said. "No recent project more richly deserved this demise - as an aesthetic monstrosity and environmental atrocity, a sitting terrorist target, security threat and navigation danger.
"As the first decision by the new administration at the highest level, it sends a powerful message: This administration will not kowtow or cater to special energy interests at the expense of environment. The Secretary of Commerce's discussion of national security and national interests shows that U.S. officials will not be persuaded by vague generalities and platitudes from energy companies. There are win-win alternatives to Broadwater, meeting both environment and energy needs, which we hope to support in partnership with New York and public interest advocates.
"This decision blows Broadwater out of the water -- forever blocking an environmental and public safety monstrosity from Long Island Sound.
"Broadwater entirely failed to prove its worth to the federal government -- failing to demonstrate that it's necessary for national security or compatible with New York's coastal zone management regulations.
"Broadwater posed irreparable harm to Long Island Sound. There are plenty of saner and safer natural gas supply projects that will spare destruction of a precious natural resource.
"This historic environmental victory is the result of a united force between Connecticut and New York. We must perpetuate this partnership to prevent future assaults on Long Island Sound through a bi-state commission, now under consideration by our legislature.
"Broadwater threatened to completely change Long Island Sound as we know it -- scarring the landscape, destroying marine habitats and forever carving out an enormous swath of the Sound from public use.
"My office fought hard for today's ruling -- repeatedly filing formal objections with the federal government and cooperating closely with New York agencies opposing Broadwater's application because it would permanently damage public trust lands, gravely restrict access to public trust waters, and pose a direct threat to public health, and the environment."