Liquified Natural Gas

Around 1,000 B.C. on the mountain Parnassus in ancient Greece, a goat herdsman found a "burning spring," a flame that had appeared in the crack of a rock. The Greeks built a temple around the flame and people from all around came to hear prophecies fore told by the priestess Delphi, who said her prophecies were inspired by the, divine or spiritual flame. The founding of temples around these mysterious flames spread to India and Persia. 500 years later the Chinese discovered this flame was caused by natural gas and that humans could potentially use it to their advantage. They made crude pipelines out of bamboo shoots and used the gas to heat seawater; this process separated the salt from the water making it drinkable. Although far from China, Britain was the first country to commercialize the use of natural gas. From 1785 natural gas in Britain was used to light houses and streetlights. This same use came to the United States in 1816 to the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The so-called "father of natural gas "was William Hart of Fredonia, N.Y. in 1821, after whom the first natural gas company of the United States was named, the Fredonia Gas Light Co. Following Hart in the list of important natural gas finders of the United States is Edwin Drake, in 1859 he dug the first well in our country, it was 69 feet deep before it hit the jackpot of a natural gas reserve.

What is natural gas; it is a colorless, odorless and shapeless gas. This fossil fuel is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases, mainly methane but also ethane, propane, butane and several others, and produces energy via combustion. Before the gas can actually be used it has to go through the process of being located, extracted, processed, transported and stored. When natural gas is cooled at -260 F into a liquid state, the volume is condensed to 1/600; the process itself, of liquefying the gas uses 20% of the energy that is being produced. Most of the natural gas rich areas are in countries such as Nigeria and Algeria, but also in Canada and the formal Soviet Union. About 45% of the natural gas taken currently in the Unites Sates is used for the pulp and paper industry, cement, asphalt, chemicals, plastics and petroleum refining. For years the United States has received its natural gas from domestic and Canadian wells making liquification of the gas unnecessary, even currently 80% of our natural gas comes from Canada. The United Stated has 320 gas wells with a proven reserve of about 192 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), which is about 3% of the world's total reserves. We are the world's largest natural gas consumer; 200 million Americans use as much natural gas as 3 billion people in Europe and Asia and the demand for natural gas in the United States has increased about 8% in the past 10 years. The Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, said there is a need for liquefied natural gas (LNG) because the capacity of domestic wells is decreasing and soon there will not be enough natural gas to fulfill our demand, he also stated that because of modern day technology less energy is being used in the processing of natural gas. The Washington D.C. based American Gas Association, foresees a continuing rise in consumption of natural gas because more power plants, and the majority of new houses, use it and will continue using natural gas in the following decades. The energy used in the northeast is made up of 40% natural gas, this powers homes, businesses, and utilities. There are six current liquefied natural gas marine terminals in the United States: Everett, Massachusetts (1971), Lake Charles, Louisiana (1981), Cove Point, Maryland (1978), Elba Island, Georgia (1978) Kenai, Alaska (1969), and Penuelas, Puerte Rico (2002).

The Coast Guard has the lead responsibility of the shipping and security of the LNG tankers and terminals. It looks after the ships, piping and equipment of the offshore barge, and the pipeline which leads from the offshore barge to the tanks on land. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Pipeline Safety, is in charge of monitoring the tanks, facility process equipment and the pipeline. The last major group that oversees the natural gas industry parts is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, they monitor the facility itself. Old tankers that carried 125,000 cubic meters of fuel are now being replaced by new ones which can carry up to 2500,000 cubic meters. To "shepherd" one tanker it costs between $30,000 and $50,000. The first LNG tanker that came into the United States after September 11^th cost about $37,500. The cost of tankers floating into terminals, like the Everett terminal in Massachusetts, will be higher than others because of the dense population surrounding it. All six terminals expect 490 shipments in 2006, costing the government about $22,050,000 this year.

Broadwater is the cooperation of the Shell U.S. Gas and Power Company and the TransCanada Pipeline. This company is proposing a liquefied natural gas terminal in the middle of the Long Island Sound (LIS), its barge would hold up to 8 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and add 1-1.25 billion cubic feet to the distribution network a day. John Hritcko, the senior vice president of Broadwater, supports the need for this barge by saying that the North east needs LNG due to the geology of this area which prevents underground storage. This 1,200 ft long and 75-100 ft tall terminal would be the first offshore terminal ever built. To put its size into perspective, it would be about 4 football fields long and 8-10 stories high. The barge would be held by a yoke mooring system, with a base of 7,000 square feet and would sit 230 feet under the seabed. The terminal would have to have security and safety zones which would be 500 yards from the center to all sides, but the security and safety zones for the carriers are yet to be set, as well as the no fly zone. The location of this terminal would be 11 miles south of New Haven in the widest part of the Sound. There are two parts to this plan, the offshore barge for shipping, processing, and storing the fuel and the 25 mile pipeline linking the barge to the already existing Iroquois pipeline. The carrier ships would import 2-3 times a week (150-160 ships a year) during which time the Race would have to be shut down for 15 minutes. Connecticut would receive ¼ of the natural gas imported to Broadwater, and New York would receive the rest. The nearest estimated year of completion for this structure is 2010.

The price of natural gas, which depends on supply and demand, skyrocketed in the year 2000, more than the oil use increase in the 1970's. The North American consumption of this fossil fuel exceeds its production by "only" 3 billion cubic feet a day, as opposed to Europe where they exceed their production by 2.4 billion. The need for an increase in natural gas importation is seen because the demand is high. The natural gas market is now global, both the U.S. and Europe are running low on their domestic reserves and therefore are both looking to the same natural gas rich countries to buy from. This puts Europe and the U.S. in a competition for the same resources. In 2002 Indonesia supplied 1/5 of the world's total exported volume of natural gas. The EIA estimates the increase of natural gas consumption from 22.5 Tcf in 2002, to 26.2 Tcf in 2010

Natural gas is used by many large companies like Pfizer for example. Pfizer uses co-generation, and energy efficient way that produces energy and steam at the same time; they use mostly natural gas for the process because it is less expensive than other sources and has lower carbon dioxide emissions. If the demand for natural gas truly does continue increasing than eventually there will be an increase in production, but with a resource such as natural gas, the production is slow and the process may take anywhere between six months and ten years, it is slow because the companies first need governmental permits and leases and they need to drill etc. and incorporated into this process are also geologic uncertainties. When the natural gas production is low, the production capacity is low resulting in decreasing prices, which in return cause a rise in the demand; this is all called the "natural gas market cycle".

Both CT's and NY's federal governments are providing needed funds for protecting and restoring the Long Island Sound and the area surrounding it. In the past ten years they have spent $5 billion for these projects, and in 2005, $65 million were spent. The building of a Broadwater barge would turn this natural resource into commercial real estate, and the necessary safety zones would take away from the recreational and commercial fishing, as well as boating and other activities. Multinational corporations would take control of this public source.

Marine life that inhabits the Long Island Sound all year round, will be endangered not only after the barge and pipeline are built but also during the construction. There will also be a high level of light pollution due to the safety policies which require the barge to be lit 24 hours, 7days a week. This intensive amount of light poses a threat to not only animals in the water but also migratory birds which fly around and into lights. The 25 mile pipeline itself as well as its construction is also a danger. The size of the trench that will have to be formed for the placing of the pipeline is 5 ft deep and 25 feet wide. The ditch cuts will fill with sediments and organic material, this will result in the break down of organic matter which decreases the amount of oxygen and has a negative affect on the benthic creatures, shellfish and other bottom dwellers. A previous attempt to allow the Islander East Pipeline Project into the Long Island Sound was turned down because it would have degraded the water quality. The process of hydrostatic testing will use the water from the LIS. This test is used to determine whether the pipeline will or will not leak. It involves using biocides to control the growth of hydrocarbon degrading fungi and bacteria. Biocides are harmful, even fatal if they are swallowed, and will further threaten the quality of the Long Island Sound. Water from the Long Island Sound would also be used for the process of returning liquefied natural gas back to its gaseous state, the cooled water would be put back into the Sound having a negative effect on the local ecosystem.

A natural gas terminal, although not posing as large of a threat as a nuclear power plant, still threatens the life of the terminals employees and the people in surrounding cities. The most hazardous scenario is a pool fire. This is when natural gas spills onto the water and ignites in the air, the fire created is more intense than when oil burns and cannot be put out until all the fuel is burned out. The temperature of the fire is so high that it causes thermal radiation; this can burn people and property that is fairly distant from the origin of the pool fire. Natural gas may also create vapor clouds; these can drift from the spill closer to a populated area up to 1600 meters away from the barge or tanker and then ignite. Natural gas is not poisonous but if a vapor cloud forms, the middle of it lacks oxygen and anyone in that area can be asphyxiated. This poses potential harm to the crew, pilot boat crew and the emergency response workers. The freezing to liquefy natural gas can burn skin and have cryogenic affects on people who have extended exposure to the cold. Just as Chernobyl is an example of a nuclear power plant explosion, the Cleveland Disaster is an example of a natural gas facility explosion. On October 20^th 1944, a ground storage tank emitted a vapor which eventually got into the sewer lines through the gutters, the gas mixed with air and ignited. Later that same day an above ground tank from the same facility exploded. Survivors said that within a second of the explosion their clothes and homes caught on fire. The human flesh and bone had vaporized because of the intensity of the heat making an estimate of killed people impossible until the ashes had settled and cooled. Over 600 people became homeless, 70 homes were destroyed, and 2 factories were ruined as well as a number of cars and the underground infrastructure.

It is proven that fossil fuels are a non renewable source of energy and many people agree that the United States as a country should start being more energy efficient and stop relying on the import of these sources (coal, gas, and oil.) The Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) of New York requires the state to utilize 25% renewable energy sources by 2013 that should be the priority. With major projects, like this Broadwater proposal in the middle of a pristine environment, such as the Long Island Sound, people must think of the future. What would the people in CT and especially NY do, if the terminal was to have a major problem, or the importation of natural gas stumbled upon a glitch or became too expensive? The inhabitants of this area would lose something they have grown attached to; the energy prices would once a gain just skyrocket. Knowing the threats, and potential harms to humans, animals and the Long Island Sound, would permitting Broadwater to carry out this project be worth it?

Broadwater's Proposal for a Liquefied Natural Gas Facility in the Long Island SoundIs it Worth the Risk?

Emily Eckert

Independent Study

Mr. Hourihan

June 2006

Around 1,000 B.C. on the mountain Parnassus in ancient Greece, a goat herdsman found a "burning spring," a flame that had appeared in the crack of a rock. The Greeks built a temple around the flame and people from all around came to hear prophecies fore told by the priestess Delphi, who said her prophecies were inspired by the, divine or spiritual flame. The founding of temples around these mysterious flames spread to India and Persia. 500 years later the Chinese discovered this flame was caused by natural gas and that humans could potentially use it to their advantage. They made crude pipelines out of bamboo shoots and used the gas to heat seawater; this process separated the salt from the water making it drinkable. Although far from China, Britain was the first country to commercialize the use of natural gas. From 1785 natural gas in Britain was used to light houses and streetlights. This same use came to the United States in 1816 to the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The so-called "father of natural gas "was William Hart of Fredonia, N.Y. in 1821, after whom the first natural gas company of the United States was named, the Fredonia Gas Light Co. Following Hart in the list of important natural gas finders of the United States is Edwin Drake, in 1859 he dug the first well in our country, it was 69 feet deep before it hit the jackpot of a natural gas reserve.

What is natural gas; it is a colorless, odorless and shapeless gas. This fossil fuel is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases, mainly methane but also ethane, propane, butane and several others, and produces energy via combustion. Before the gas can actually be used it has to go through the process of being located, extracted, processed, transported and stored. When natural gas is cooled at -260 F into a liquid state, the volume is condensed to 1/600; the process itself, of liquefying the gas uses 20% of the energy that is being produced. Most of the natural gas rich areas are in countries such as Nigeria and Algeria, but also in Canada and the formal Soviet Union. About 45% of the natural gas taken currently in the Unites Sates is used for the pulp and paper industry, cement, asphalt, chemicals, plastics and petroleum refining. For years the United States has received its natural gas from domestic and Canadian wells making liquification of the gas unnecessary, even currently 80% of our natural gas comes from Canada. The United Stated has 320 gas wells with a proven reserve of about 192 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), which is about 3% of the world's total reserves. We are the world's largest natural gas consumer; 200 million Americans use as much natural gas as 3 billion people in Europe and Asia and the demand for natural gas in the United States has increased about 8% in the past 10 years. The Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, said there is a need for liquefied natural gas (LNG) because the capacity of domestic wells is decreasing and soon there will not be enough natural gas to fulfill our demand, he also stated that because of modern day technology less energy is being used in the processing of natural gas. The Washington D.C. based American Gas Association, foresees a continuing rise in consumption of natural gas because more power plants, and the majority of new houses, use it and will continue using natural gas in the following decades. The energy used in the northeast is made up of 40% natural gas, this powers homes, businesses, and utilities. There are six current liquefied natural gas marine terminals in the United States: Everett, Massachusetts (1971), Lake Charles, Louisiana (1981), Cove Point, Maryland (1978), Elba Island, Georgia (1978) Kenai, Alaska (1969), and Penuelas, Puerte Rico (2002).

The Coast Guard has the lead responsibility of the shipping and security of the LNG tankers and terminals. It looks after the ships, piping and equipment of the offshore barge, and the pipeline which leads from the offshore barge to the tanks on land. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Pipeline Safety, is in charge of monitoring the tanks, facility process equipment and the pipeline. The last major group that oversees the natural gas industry parts is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, they monitor the facility itself. Old tankers that carried 125,000 cubic meters of fuel are now being replaced by new ones which can carry up to 2500,000 cubic meters. To "shepherd" one tanker it costs between $30,000 and $50,000. The first LNG tanker that came into the United States after September 11^th cost about $37,500. The cost of tankers floating into terminals, like the Everett terminal in Massachusetts, will be higher than others because of the dense population surrounding it. All six terminals expect 490 shipments in 2006, costing the government about $22,050,000 this year.

Broadwater is the cooperation of the Shell U.S. Gas and Power Company and the TransCanada Pipeline. This company is proposing a liquefied natural gas terminal in the middle of the Long Island Sound (LIS), its barge would hold up to 8 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and add 1-1.25 billion cubic feet to the distribution network a day. John Hritcko, the senior vice president of Broadwater, supports the need for this barge by saying that the North east needs LNG due to the geology of this area which prevents underground storage. This 1,200 ft long and 75-100 ft tall terminal would be the first offshore terminal ever built. To put its size into perspective, it would be about 4 football fields long and 8-10 stories high. The barge would be held by a yoke mooring system, with a base of 7,000 square feet and would sit 230 feet under the seabed. The terminal would have to have security and safety zones which would be 500 yards from the center to all sides, but the security and safety zones for the carriers are yet to be set, as well as the no fly zone. The location of this terminal would be 11 miles south of New Haven in the widest part of the Sound. There are two parts to this plan, the offshore barge for shipping, processing, and storing the fuel and the 25 mile pipeline linking the barge to the already existing Iroquois pipeline. The carrier ships would import 2-3 times a week (150-160 ships a year) during which time the Race would have to be shut down for 15 minutes. Connecticut would receive ¼ of the natural gas imported to Broadwater, and New York would receive the rest. The nearest estimated year of completion for this structure is 2010.

The price of natural gas, which depends on supply and demand, skyrocketed in the year 2000, more than the oil use increase in the 1970's. The North American consumption of this fossil fuel exceeds its production by "only" 3 billion cubic feet a day, as opposed to Europe where they exceed their production by 2.4 billion. The need for an increase in natural gas importation is seen because the demand is high. The natural gas market is now global, both the U.S. and Europe are running low on their domestic reserves and therefore are both looking to the same natural gas rich countries to buy from. This puts Europe and the U.S. in a competition for the same resources. In 2002 Indonesia supplied 1/5 of the world's total exported volume of natural gas. The EIA estimates the increase of natural gas consumption from 22.5 Tcf in 2002, to 26.2 Tcf in 2010

Natural gas is used by many large companies like Pfizer for example. Pfizer uses co-generation, and energy efficient way that produces energy and steam at the same time; they use mostly natural gas for the process because it is less expensive than other sources and has lower carbon dioxide emissions. If the demand for natural gas truly does continue increasing than eventually there will be an increase in production, but with a resource such as natural gas, the production is slow and the process may take anywhere between six months and ten years, it is slow because the companies first need governmental permits and leases and they need to drill etc. and incorporated into this process are also geologic uncertainties. When the natural gas production is low, the production capacity is low resulting in decreasing prices, which in return cause a rise in the demand; this is all called the "natural gas market cycle".

Both CT's and NY's federal governments are providing needed funds for protecting and restoring the Long Island Sound and the area surrounding it. In the past ten years they have spent $5 billion for these projects, and in 2005, $65 million were spent. The building of a Broadwater barge would turn this natural resource into commercial real estate, and the necessary safety zones would take away from the recreational and commercial fishing, as well as boating and other activities. Multinational corporations would take control of this public source.

Marine life that inhabits the Long Island Sound all year round, will be endangered not only after the barge and pipeline are built but also during the construction. There will also be a high level of light pollution due to the safety policies which require the barge to be lit 24 hours, 7days a week. This intensive amount of light poses a threat to not only animals in the water but also migratory birds which fly around and into lights. The 25 mile pipeline itself as well as its construction is also a danger. The size of the trench that will have to be formed for the placing of the pipeline is 5 ft deep and 25 feet wide. The ditch cuts will fill with sediments and organic material, this will result in the break down of organic matter which decreases the amount of oxygen and has a negative affect on the benthic creatures, shellfish and other bottom dwellers. A previous attempt to allow the Islander East Pipeline Project into the Long Island Sound was turned down because it would have degraded the water quality. The process of hydrostatic testing will use the water from the LIS. This test is used to determine whether the pipeline will or will not leak. It involves using biocides to control the growth of hydrocarbon degrading fungi and bacteria. Biocides are harmful, even fatal if they are swallowed, and will further threaten the quality of the Long Island Sound. Water from the Long Island Sound would also be used for the process of returning liquefied natural gas back to its gaseous state, the cooled water would be put back into the Sound having a negative effect on the local ecosystem.

A natural gas terminal, although not posing as large of a threat as a nuclear power plant, still threatens the life of the terminals employees and the people in surrounding cities. The most hazardous scenario is a pool fire. This is when natural gas spills onto the water and ignites in the air, the fire created is more intense than when oil burns and cannot be put out until all the fuel is burned out. The temperature of the fire is so high that it causes thermal radiation; this can burn people and property that is fairly distant from the origin of the pool fire. Natural gas may also create vapor clouds; these can drift from the spill closer to a populated area up to 1600 meters away from the barge or tanker and then ignite. Natural gas is not poisonous but if a vapor cloud forms, the middle of it lacks oxygen and anyone in that area can be asphyxiated. This poses potential harm to the crew, pilot boat crew and the emergency response workers. The freezing to liquefy natural gas can burn skin and have cryogenic affects on people who have extended exposure to the cold. Just as Chernobyl is an example of a nuclear power plant explosion, the Cleveland Disaster is an example of a natural gas facility explosion. On October 20^th 1944, a ground storage tank emitted a vapor which eventually got into the sewer lines through the gutters, the gas mixed with air and ignited. Later that same day an above ground tank from the same facility exploded. Survivors said that within a second of the explosion their clothes and homes caught on fire. The human flesh and bone had vaporized because of the intensity of the heat making an estimate of killed people impossible until the ashes had settled and cooled. Over 600 people became homeless, 70 homes were destroyed, and 2 factories were ruined as well as a number of cars and the underground infrastructure.

It is proven that fossil fuels are a non renewable source of energy and many people agree that the United States as a country should start being more energy efficient and stop relying on the import of these sources (coal, gas, and oil.) The Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) of New York requires the state to utilize 25% renewable energy sources by 2013 that should be the priority. With major projects, like this Broadwater proposal in the middle of a pristine environment, such as the Long Island Sound, people must think of the future. What would the people in CT and especially NY do, if the terminal was to have a major problem, or the importation of natural gas stumbled upon a glitch or became too expensive? The inhabitants of this area would lose something they have grown attached to; the energy prices would once a gain just skyrocket. Knowing the threats, and potential harms to humans, animals and the Long Island Sound, would permitting Broadwater to carry out this project be worth it?

Broadwater's Proposal for a Liquefied Natural Gas Facility in the Long Island SoundIs it Worth the Risk?

Emily Eckert

Independent Study

Mr. Hourihan

June 2006

Around 1,000 B.C. on the mountain Parnassus in ancient Greece, a goat herdsman found a "burning spring," a flame that had appeared in the crack of a rock. The Greeks built a temple around the flame and people from all around came to hear prophecies fore told by the priestess Delphi, who said her prophecies were inspired by the, divine or spiritual flame. The founding of temples around these mysterious flames spread to India and Persia. 500 years later the Chinese discovered this flame was caused by natural gas and that humans could potentially use it to their advantage. They made crude pipelines out of bamboo shoots and used the gas to heat seawater; this process separated the salt from the water making it drinkable. Although far from China, Britain was the first country to commercialize the use of natural gas. From 1785 natural gas in Britain was used to light houses and streetlights. This same use came to the United States in 1816 to the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The so-called "father of natural gas "was William Hart of Fredonia, N.Y. in 1821, after whom the first natural gas company of the United States was named, the Fredonia Gas Light Co. Following Hart in the list of important natural gas finders of the United States is Edwin Drake, in 1859 he dug the first well in our country, it was 69 feet deep before it hit the jackpot of a natural gas reserve.

What is natural gas; it is a colorless, odorless and shapeless gas. This fossil fuel is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases, mainly methane but also ethane, propane, butane and several others, and produces energy via combustion. Before the gas can actually be used it has to go through the process of being located, extracted, processed, transported and stored. When natural gas is cooled at -260 F into a liquid state, the volume is condensed to 1/600; the process itself, of liquefying the gas uses 20% of the energy that is being produced. Most of the natural gas rich areas are in countries such as Nigeria and Algeria, but also in Canada and the formal Soviet Union. About 45% of the natural gas taken currently in the Unites Sates is used for the pulp and paper industry, cement, asphalt, chemicals, plastics and petroleum refining. For years the United States has received its natural gas from domestic and Canadian wells making liquification of the gas unnecessary, even currently 80% of our natural gas comes from Canada. The United Stated has 320 gas wells with a proven reserve of about 192 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), which is about 3% of the world's total reserves. We are the world's largest natural gas consumer; 200 million Americans use as much natural gas as 3 billion people in Europe and Asia and the demand for natural gas in the United States has increased about 8% in the past 10 years. The Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, said there is a need for liquefied natural gas (LNG) because the capacity of domestic wells is decreasing and soon there will not be enough natural gas to fulfill our demand, he also stated that because of modern day technology less energy is being used in the processing of natural gas. The Washington D.C. based American Gas Association, foresees a continuing rise in consumption of natural gas because more power plants, and the majority of new houses, use it and will continue using natural gas in the following decades. The energy used in the northeast is made up of 40% natural gas, this powers homes, businesses, and utilities. There are six current liquefied natural gas marine terminals in the United States: Everett, Massachusetts (1971), Lake Charles, Louisiana (1981), Cove Point, Maryland (1978), Elba Island, Georgia (1978) Kenai, Alaska (1969), and Penuelas, Puerte Rico (2002).

The Coast Guard has the lead responsibility of the shipping and security of the LNG tankers and terminals. It looks after the ships, piping and equipment of the offshore barge, and the pipeline which leads from the offshore barge to the tanks on land. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Pipeline Safety, is in charge of monitoring the tanks, facility process equipment and the pipeline. The last major group that oversees the natural gas industry parts is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, they monitor the facility itself. Old tankers that carried 125,000 cubic meters of fuel are now being replaced by new ones which can carry up to 2500,000 cubic meters. To "shepherd" one tanker it costs between $30,000 and $50,000. The first LNG tanker that came into the United States after September 11^th cost about $37,500. The cost of tankers floating into terminals, like the Everett terminal in Massachusetts, will be higher than others because of the dense population surrounding it. All six terminals expect 490 shipments in 2006, costing the government about $22,050,000 this year.

Broadwater is the cooperation of the Shell U.S. Gas and Power Company and the TransCanada Pipeline. This company is proposing a liquefied natural gas terminal in the middle of the Long Island Sound (LIS), its barge would hold up to 8 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and add 1-1.25 billion cubic feet to the distribution network a day. John Hritcko, the senior vice president of Broadwater, supports the need for this barge by saying that the North east needs LNG due to the geology of this area which prevents underground storage. This 1,200 ft long and 75-100 ft tall terminal would be the first offshore terminal ever built. To put its size into perspective, it would be about 4 football fields long and 8-10 stories high. The barge would be held by a yoke mooring system, with a base of 7,000 square feet and would sit 230 feet under the seabed. The terminal would have to have security and safety zones which would be 500 yards from the center to all sides, but the security and safety zones for the carriers are yet to be set, as well as the no fly zone. The location of this terminal would be 11 miles south of New Haven in the widest part of the Sound. There are two parts to this plan, the offshore barge for shipping, processing, and storing the fuel and the 25 mile pipeline linking the barge to the already existing Iroquois pipeline. The carrier ships would import 2-3 times a week (150-160 ships a year) during which time the Race would have to be shut down for 15 minutes. Connecticut would receive ¼ of the natural gas imported to Broadwater, and New York would receive the rest. The nearest estimated year of completion for this structure is 2010.

The price of natural gas, which depends on supply and demand, skyrocketed in the year 2000, more than the oil use increase in the 1970's. The North American consumption of this fossil fuel exceeds its production by "only" 3 billion cubic feet a day, as opposed to Europe where they exceed their production by 2.4 billion. The need for an increase in natural gas importation is seen because the demand is high. The natural gas market is now global, both the U.S. and Europe are running low on their domestic reserves and therefore are both looking to the same natural gas rich countries to buy from. This puts Europe and the U.S. in a competition for the same resources. In 2002 Indonesia supplied 1/5 of the world's total exported volume of natural gas. The EIA estimates the increase of natural gas consumption from 22.5 Tcf in 2002, to 26.2 Tcf in 2010

Natural gas is used by many large companies like Pfizer for example. Pfizer uses co-generation, and energy efficient way that produces energy and steam at the same time; they use mostly natural gas for the process because it is less expensive than other sources and has lower carbon dioxide emissions. If the demand for natural gas truly does continue increasing than eventually there will be an increase in production, but with a resource such as natural gas, the production is slow and the process may take anywhere between six months and ten years, it is slow because the companies first need governmental permits and leases and they need to drill etc. and incorporated into this process are also geologic uncertainties. When the natural gas production is low, the production capacity is low resulting in decreasing prices, which in return cause a rise in the demand; this is all called the "natural gas market cycle".

Both CT's and NY's federal governments are providing needed funds for protecting and restoring the Long Island Sound and the area surrounding it. In the past ten years they have spent $5 billion for these projects, and in 2005, $65 million were spent. The building of a Broadwater barge would turn this natural resource into commercial real estate, and the necessary safety zones would take away from the recreational and commercial fishing, as well as boating and other activities. Multinational corporations would take control of this public source.

Marine life that inhabits the Long Island Sound all year round, will be endangered not only after the barge and pipeline are built but also during the construction. There will also be a high level of light pollution due to the safety policies which require the barge to be lit 24 hours, 7days a week. This intensive amount of light poses a threat to not only animals in the water but also migratory birds which fly around and into lights. The 25 mile pipeline itself as well as its construction is also a danger. The size of the trench that will have to be formed for the placing of the pipeline is 5 ft deep and 25 feet wide. The ditch cuts will fill with sediments and organic material, this will result in the break down of organic matter which decreases the amount of oxygen and has a negative affect on the benthic creatures, shellfish and other bottom dwellers. A previous attempt to allow the Islander East Pipeline Project into the Long Island Sound was turned down because it would have degraded the water quality. The process of hydrostatic testing will use the water from the LIS. This test is used to determine whether the pipeline will or will not leak. It involves using biocides to control the growth of hydrocarbon degrading fungi and bacteria. Biocides are harmful, even fatal if they are swallowed, and will further threaten the quality of the Long Island Sound. Water from the Long Island Sound would also be used for the process of returning liquefied natural gas back to its gaseous state, the cooled water would be put back into the Sound having a negative effect on the local ecosystem.

A natural gas terminal, although not posing as large of a threat as a nuclear power plant, still threatens the life of the terminals employees and the people in surrounding cities. The most hazardous scenario is a pool fire. This is when natural gas spills onto the water and ignites in the air, the fire created is more intense than when oil burns and cannot be put out until all the fuel is burned out. The temperature of the fire is so high that it causes thermal radiation; this can burn people and property that is fairly distant from the origin of the pool fire. Natural gas may also create vapor clouds; these can drift from the spill closer to a populated area up to 1600 meters away from the barge or tanker and then ignite. Natural gas is not poisonous but if a vapor cloud forms, the middle of it lacks oxygen and anyone in that area can be asphyxiated. This poses potential harm to the crew, pilot boat crew and the emergency response workers. The freezing to liquefy natural gas can burn skin and have cryogenic affects on people who have extended exposure to the cold. Just as Chernobyl is an example of a nuclear power plant explosion, the Cleveland Disaster is an example of a natural gas facility explosion. On October 20^th 1944, a ground storage tank emitted a vapor which eventually got into the sewer lines through the gutters, the gas mixed with air and ignited. Later that same day an above ground tank from the same facility exploded. Survivors said that within a second of the explosion their clothes and homes caught on fire. The human flesh and bone had vaporized because of the intensity of the heat making an estimate of killed people impossible until the ashes had settled and cooled. Over 600 people became homeless, 70 homes were destroyed, and 2 factories were ruined as well as a number of cars and the underground infrastructure.

It is proven that fossil fuels are a non renewable source of energy and many people agree that the United States as a country should start being more energy efficient and stop relying on the import of these sources (coal, gas, and oil.) The Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) of New York requires the state to utilize 25% renewable energy sources by 2013 that should be the priority. With major projects, like this Broadwater proposal in the middle of a pristine environment, such as the Long Island Sound, people must think of the future. What would the people in CT and especially NY do, if the terminal was to have a major problem, or the importation of natural gas stumbled upon a glitch or became too expensive? The inhabitants of this area would lose something they have grown attached to; the energy prices would once a gain just skyrocket. Knowing the threats, and potential harms to humans, animals and the Long Island Sound, would permitting Broadwater to carry out this project be worth it?