Letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
This morning, I sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as a public statement of my opposition to the Broadwater Liquified Natural Gas barge proposed for Long Island Sound.



Greetings,

Thank you for the opportunity to add my thoughts for your consideration of the Broadwater project. I have two major concerns about this proposal.

My first concern is about the potential for a national nightmare involving the collision of one of the LNG tankers with a nuclear submarine in Long Island Sound. I worked as an engineer at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton for 31 years and my last five years were spent trying to extend the survival time of trapped submariners following such a collision. Anyone who follows the media knows that collisions of this sort occur on a regular basis and most of those who work in this area feel that it is not a question of “if,” but rather a question of “when” a serious collision will put a disabled submarine on the sea bottom.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I consider such a possibility in the relatively confined waters of Long Island Sound, particularly near the Race. On paper, I’m sure that there will be procedures to minimize the probability of any collisions, but not all days on Long Island Sound are sunny August afternoons – there are many a “dark and stormy night” when ships must ply their ways through murkiness, through high wind and waves. A watch stander’s vigilance can be compromised when his or her attention is diverted by something as small as a spilled cup of coffee or an unexpected event in some other part of the ship. Also, communications between ships are sometimes misunderstood, particularly when the two ships’ companies speak different languages.

Our submarines are built to the highest standards of material safety and their crews are some of the most highly trained, dedicated people on the oceans. On the other hand, I assume that supertankers carrying LNG are also built to very high standards and, because of the huge disparity in the masses of the two vessels, the submarine would probably be the big loser in any collision. If a submarine were ever rammed by one of these huge tankers, we would have a national disaster of the worst kind, particularly, given the heavily populated shoreline around the Sound, if there were explosions from its torpedoes and/or cruise missiles or if there were a nuclear spill from its reactor. Even more sobering is the national tragedy we would experience if we lost the devoted crew of one of our subs from such a collision; some of us never forget those dark days when we lost the Thresher and Scorpion.

For this reason alone, I suggest that, given all the large number other sites under consideration for LNG terminals, that the Broadwater project be rated as least desirable, if not disapproved outright.

My second point, however, is voiced as just another citizen worried about the path that our nation is taking with respect to energy. It seems to me that the driving forces behind almost all of these new proposals are political and economic profits, not really “needs” of the people. The “needs” specified in various projections from the industry are based upon past usage and upon projected profits, instead of being based upon what we, as individuals and as a nation, should really be doing.

I know that your commission is not here to regulate our lifestyles or how we, as consumers, choose to use or waste energy, but, to me, it seems that one of the highest priorities in “Energy Regulation” should be to seriously consider the future impact of our current energy usage. Instead of just approving more energy plants to feed this gluttony, you are in a position to steer our nation onto a path of energy conservation, increased energy efficiency of our machines and vehicles, and, most importantly, in developing universally available, affordable, and, yes, profitable sources of sustainable/renewable energy.

Again, I am only one small voice against, not only the Broadwater proposal, but against the unchecked proliferation of feeding this energy monster that we have all unwittingly created. Thankfully, though, I know that I am not alone and that the tide is, indeed, turning. Please listen to the people that you represent and join us by disapproving this project and by leading the way to a more rational national energy plan.

Sincerely,

Douglas Wray