House Republican Press Release

January 19, 2007

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Broadwater, Not the Answer!

Letter to the Editor:

As a legislator representing Greenwich and Stamford, I must again register my opposition to the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility off the coast of Connecticut in Long Island Sound.

I, along with other members of Fairfield County delegation in the General Assembly, have written to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) asking them to deny Broadwater’s request to build their proposed facility.

As stated in the Fairfield County delegation’s letter and petition to FERC, we “oppose the installation of a liquefied natural gas facility.”

Long Island Sound is a treasure that both the state and federal government have worked hard to preserve. It should be guarded and protected as a natural resource without equal. Placing a LNG facility in this body of water at this site only 11 miles from Connecticut’s coastline would be a huge mistake.

In addition to environmental degradation, the proposed an LNG facility would be vulnerable to public safety and homeland security risks due to the sheer magnitude, size and scope of the project.

In our opposition letter to FERC, the Fairfield County caucus believes the “public safety of our citizens should be our main concern.” This concept seems to have taken a back seat in Broadwater’s facility proposal.

We in Connecticut have an energy crisis, but this facility is not the solution. I have heard testimony on both sides of the argument, but it appears to me that the hazards greatly outweigh any benefit this proposal might offer. After all, one of my tasks as a legislator is asking the question: “Is this good for the citizens of Connecticut?” The answer to this question is an unequivocal no.

Livvy R. Floren

State Representative-149^th District

Greenwich and Stamford