Hello, Broadwater Calling

In case you thought TransCanada and Shell were sitting back and doing nothing lately, think again. The big energy and oil companies, which want to usurp a part of Long Island Sound so they can build a liquefied natural gas terminal, have been pulling off a neat trick to give the impression that people are in favor of the terminal.

On Long Island, they've been calling residents and then transferring the calls to members of the Suffolk County Legislature. Newsday found out and wrote about it:

Jean Thatcher, of Lloyd Harbor, received a call Friday morning from a woman who identified herself by name but offered no other information.

According to Thatcher, the caller misrepresented Legis. Jon Cooper's (D-Lloyd Harbor) position on Broadwater, saying he was calling for a "full and fair hearing" on the matter, when Cooper is an ardent opponent. Cooper Friday said he was upset that the callers were misrepresenting his position.

Thatcher said he challenged the caller but was automatically transferred to Cooper's office. "I was shocked that they patched me through," she said.

TransCanada/Shell's name for their LNG project is Broadwater. Amy Kelley, Broadwater's flack, wouldn't give details of this fake grassroots effort. Newsday says Adrienne Esposito, of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, has given the company a new nickname: Fraud-water.