| Issue #1 - March 30, 2007 |
Some Thoughts On Broadwater
One Writer’s Opinion On What We Can Do
By T.J. Clemente
The drumbeat of the opposition to Broadwater Energy’s proposal to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Long Island Sound seems to be getting more traction daily. With radio and newspaper advertisements and word of mouth, the momentum to oppose the project is spreading like a wildfire on a dry plain on a windy day. With the Town of East Hampton, Town of Huntington and Brookhaven all joining forces to pony up $35,000 each to hire legal council to oppose the ambitious and not environmentally friendly project. It may be time to examine the issue again.
Years back when the first oil embargo changed the landscape of energy prices and highlighted the dependency of the United States on foreign oil supply, President Richard Nixon proposed making the United States almost completely dependent on nuclear power within a generation. Opposition for nuclear power came quickly from grass roots environmentalists of the political system that both forced his administration to create and embrace the EPA, The Environmental Agency, and then in effect almost completely end the quest to make the United States a nuclear power nation. Through groups like Ralph Nader’s Public Interest Research Groups, (PIRGs} the people were able to stop Nixon’s plan. In fact, the Congress stopped him altogether, sending the embattled President to early retirement via impeachment.
It is the power of the vote and its effect on long time political careers that is always the best weapon of opposition to proposals like Broadwater Energy. As more of the proposal becomes known to everyone on the North Fork and other concerned Long Island Communities, the vision of turning the Long Island Sound into a vehicle for the flow of natural gas in some form is not inviting pleasant visions and thoughts. New types of accidents such as a new version of the Exxon Valdez, right in the Long Island Sound would become possible. And facilities such as the ones in the proposal by Broadwater Energy, once built tend to grow and expand.
The question is are our elected representatives about to surrender a natural resource of the people of New York and Connecticut, that being the Long island Sound, for the use of a private, giant company to create an industrial platform to both make billions of dollars and destroy the value of shore real estate both physically and esthetically? Is this the gift these elected officials want to give to the children of our children? Bad government policy should not be for sale at any price.
Well-financed proposals can be stopped, to be examined by the public, and should be. There should be no rush to change the landscape the Long Island Sound. An important website to become more informed on the issue and efforts to stop it is www.stopbroadwater.com. An educated citizen is an important person moving forward to manage the environment for future generations. Many believe this issue has the potential to change life on the North Fork as we know it. The final question is what price is to be paid. What risks are to be taken in order to put in place short term energy needs that very well may benefit oil companies a lot more than the people of The North Fork?
Gather the facts, think about them and act. The power is in the hands of the voter. Elected officials don’t enjoy being voted out of office, but they need to hear the voice of the people they represent, www.stopbroadwater.com, is a must visit.
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