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New York Says No to Broadwater Governor Paterson Announces Opposition on Sunken Meadow Shore By
Jay Beatty |
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April 16, 2008 KINGS PARK, NY — To the obvious delight of the nearly 1,000 officials, activists, and interested citizens gathered in anticipation, President and CEO Kevin Law of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) introduced Governor David A Paterson by noting that in addition to being New York’s “first black governor,” Paterson was “New York’s first green governor.”
Governor David Paterson, joined by officials and activists, including Adrienne Esposito, Senator Owen Johnson, Kevin Law, Congressman Tim Bishop, and County Executive Steve Levy, announces his rejection of the controversial Broadwater LNG proposal. With the sun-drenched waters of the Long Island Sound as his backdrop, Paterson rose to the podium to declare his awaited opposition to the Broadwater Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project proposed for the waters of Long Island Sound. The governor also outlined a series of initiatives that his administration will take to meet the growing demand for energy on Long Island and the downstate region. The Governor’s announcement was held on the boardwalk at Alfred E. Smith Sunken Meadow State Park.
(left) LIPA CEO Kevin Law After sitting through a long list of introductions of officials from all levels of government, Paterson began his remarks by asking “Is there anybody here that hasn’t been introduced?” In addition to the scores of elected officials from Suffolk and Nassau, -- including nearly the entire Suffolk County Legislature and nearly all of Long Island’s State Senators and Assembly members. When the laughter subsided, the governor referenced his childhood years on Long Island and said of Broadwater, “This is not what the Long Island Sound needs.” “One of my goals as Governor is to protect Long Island Sound, by preserving it as a valuable estuary, an economic engine for the region, and a key component to making Long Island’s quality of life one of the best in the country,” said Governor Paterson. “Broadwater does not pass that test. Shame on us if we can’t develop a responsible energy policy without sacrificing one of our greatest natural and economic resources.”
“Privatizing open water would be fundamentally wrong and serve as a dangerous precedent for industrializing a body of water that people have spent years and millions of dollars trying to clean up,” said the governor. Further, he noted, the facility and associated pipeline and tankers would disrupt commercial and recreational fishing – disrupting a way of life on the Sound and potentially putting families out of business; there was no guarantee of low-cost gas to Long Island; and the project is not needed in the Sound – other alternatives exist. Broadwater, he said, was a false choice. Following the governor, Congressman Timothy Bishop started his brief remarks with a simple “Thank you for saying no.”
(left) County Executive Steve Levy Assemblyman Marc Alessi was a bit more caustic, saying “You do not mess with Long Island. We will not be fooled. In a statement following the announcement, Alessi added that “the environment, the fishing industry and our community would all have been directly impacted by Broadwater.”
“We have got to get away from fossil fuels,” he concluded. (Right) Senator Carl Marcellino Town Officials Concur Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley and members of the Brookhaven Town Council joined Governor Paterson at Sunken Meadow State Park, commending his decision to reject the Broadwater proposal.
(above) Brookhaven Supervisor Brian Foley and County Legislators William Lindsay and Jack Eddington were among the many local officials on hand to support the Broadwater decision. First District Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld also lauded the Governor’s decision, ““Not only would this project have caused untold environmental damage to our region’s most important and fragile waterbody, it would not have helped Long Islander’s meet their energy needs. It also would have denied use of vast areas of the Sound to those who own it - the people. It was obvious that Broadwater was not welcomed and we are thrilled that the Governor is quite sensitive to and listening carefully to Long Islanders.” "It is no secret that Long Island needs to find more innovative ways to satisfy our energy needs." said Second District Councilwoman Jane Bonner, who helped oppose Broadwater as a civic leader and as an elected official. "However, instead of trying to force ill-conceived proposals that could devastate our quality of life and put more money in the pockets of corporations and multinational companies, we need to develop more creative solutions that will reduce our dependency on foreign oil and provide savings to hard-working Long Islanders." NYS Energy Plans Stating that opposition to Broadwater was but a necessary step and that energy alternatives were needed, Paterson went on to outline a series of initiatives toward development of a comprehensive energy plan. To immediately start planning for the future, the Governor announced an Executive Order to establish a State Energy Planning Board charged with preparing a State Energy Plan. The board, headed by Deputy Secretary for Energy Paul DeCotis, will consist of representatives from the major energy, environmental, economic and transportation agencies. New York State has not had an energy plan since an energy planning statute expired in 2003, despite many advances in science and technology, and despite what he described as “the reality of global warming.”
(right) Adrienne Esposito, director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, was one of the leading opponents of the Broadwater LNG proposal and was praised by Governor Paterson and other officials at the announcement. “We must accept the challenge of developing comprehensive alternatives to meet the growing demand for energy on Long Island and throughout the State. One of my other goals as Governor is to address high energy costs,” said Paterson. “By both reducing the amount of energy demand, and aggressively pursuing new responsible supply, we can get our State on a path toward lower energy costs, economic revitalization, and a cleaner, healthier environment.” -30- Click
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Despite
the serious subject matter, Law and Paterson kept the event light in
tone. Waving away bees while trying to introduce the Governor, Law said
he “felt like Joba Chamberlain during the playoffs,” a reference to the
New York Yankees pitcher besieged by insects during a game last year
against the Cleveland Indians.
Paterson
cited a number of concerns with the Broadwater proposal. It would be
the first time in the history of Long Island Sound, he said, that a
section of open water this size was handed over to a private company to
the exclusion of the public.
Speaking
later, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy concurred. “I’m not against
LNG,” he said, “just against it in this body of water.” Citing his
“friends in real estate” Levy described the issue as “location,
location, location.”
Senator
Carl Marcellino praised the governor and declared: “We need an energy
policy. Not just in New York, but for the United States.”
Supervisor
Foley said, “The Governor’s courageous decision is a clear example of
his knowledge and understanding of the critical needs of Long
Islanders. The Governor has taken a bold step by listening to the
voices of the people and standing up to “Big Oil. He has our heartfelt
thanks for saving Long Island Sound.” 
Seeking
greater efficiency in New York’s use of energy, the governor has
directed the State’s two major power authorities to aggressively pursue
energy conservation. With Law at his side, Paterson announced that LIPA
is preparing a $1 billion, 10-year “Efficiency Long Island” initiative
to reduce electricity demand on Long Island. He also announced that the
New York Power Authority (NYPA) has committed to a near doubling of its
conservation budget to $1.4 billion through 2015 to reduce electricity
use by government buildings and schools throughout the state. He also
said his administration would explore how to integrate natural gas
efficiency measures into its overall efforts to reduce electricity
demand 15 percent below projected levels by 2015.
The
Governor called for aggressively pursuing increased gas pipeline
capacity to Long Island and the downstate region. Although he said the
Broadwater project would “scar Long Island Sound” he favored examining
other natural gas proposals, including LNG. He also announced that LIPA
will be issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a major source of solar
power for Long Island. As Lieutenant Governor, Paterson chaired the
State Renewable Energy Task Force and this RFP was one of its
recommendations.
