FERC Says No More Broadwater Hearings, Which Is Fine. The Real Story is in the Written Comments.

FERC has rejected a request by Congressman Tim Bishop to hold more Broadwater hearings. Bishop will act outraged, no doubt, but to me this is no big deal. Though required by law, the hearings are a show. True, they are an opportunity to mouth off in public but they're also an opportunity to demonstrate that a lot of people don't want an LNG terminal in Long Island Sound. So on that count, the goal was accomplished.

More importantly, anyone who wants to be heard by FERC can send written comments. And as I've tried to show in previous posts, a lot of the written comments have been devastating.

So I'm not worried that there won't be more hearings. But if, based on the written comments (click here and then enter "Broadwater" in the 'text search' box, near the bottom), FERC doesn't require a lot more work on Broadwater's environmental impact statement, that will be a travesty.