The world will end tomorrow if Gov. Paterson OKs plans for an immobile natural-gas barge in Long Island Sound.
Or so foes of the plan, called Broadwater, want folks to think.
Actually, Broadwater would bring a new supply of gas to the region – making sure there’s plenty for the future and helping to drive down energy costs.
Paterson should make sure the plan gets the needed approvals, starting with a Department of State ruling tomorrow on whether it jibes with coastal policies.
Sure, the plan by Broadwater Energy (a joint venture between TransCanada and Shell US Gas and Power) is controversial: It calls for mooring a 1,200-foot barge in Long Island Sound to store liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pump it, in gas form, to the Northeast through a new 22-mile underwater pipeline.
Critics liken that idea to building “an oil refinery in the Grand Canyon.”
“The Sound is one of the most beautiful and significant bodies of water in the United States,” an ad says. Broadwater would jeopardize that by opening the door to the “the industrialization of the waterway.” Critics also claim that the barge is subject to explosion.
That’s all nonsense.
The truth? Broadwater’s footprint would be just a few square miles (including an off-limits safety zone) in an 1,100-square-mile body of water – that is, less than 1 percent of the area.
Its site, nine miles from the New York shoreline and 11 miles from Connecticut, makes it barely visible from land. The Sound already handles lots of commercial traffic; LNG shipments would bump that up a mere 1 percent.
And a federal study concludes that Broadwater “would not stimulate new types of offshore industrial or commercial developments” or have troubling environmental consequences.
Safety? You could hardly ask for a better site – miles from any population areas. And while there’s never been any major LNG leaks from ships, the impact of one would be relatively minor, particularly compared to oil spills.
Meanwhile, Broadwater’s benefits are compelling: Environmentalists and global-warming activists are increasingly pushing to use natural gas to generate electricity instead of other fossil fuels, because it burns much cleaner. That means demand for the gas will likely soar – even as supplies dwindle.
Bringing in a new source of natural gas will save the median household in the area about $300 a year, the company estimates. The commercial sector would enjoy a $1.2 billion annual boost.
Again, the shrill voices of opposition should not be underestimated; they’re the ones, they like to remind folks, who killed the Shoreham nuclear plant – and now they’ve got some neighbors from Connecticut on their side.
But there’s also significant support for the project, too – especially from folks who realize that it makes good sense to place an energy facility miles from anyone’s backyard.
Broadwater is one of Paterson’s first opportunities to show he’ll govern responsibly – and not buckle to hysteria.
We hope he takes it.