Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008
Floor Speech
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 20, 2007)
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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Bishop-DeLauro-Courtney amendment.
It's unfortunate that it's necessary for the United States Congress to intercede into a pending matter before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. However, despite repeated warnings from independent, scientific, and public safety analysts that this application for a floating liquid natural gas facility in Long Island Sound needs more investigation, FERC has refused every request for more time to study the implications of this facility in one of the most populated areas of the United States.
The need for more time was highlighted again just a few weeks ago with the release of a 43-page report by the Government Accountability Office that looked at the public safety consequences of a terrorist attack on a tanker carrying liquid natural gas. GAO reviewed what would be the effect of a liquid LNG spill and explosion.
The bottom line: more research is needed. Experts disagreed on what would happen if there was a cascading failure of an LNG tanker, and GAO recommended that the Department of Energy study this issue more thoroughly.
GAO's report should settle the question of whether applications such as Broadwater should proceed. If DOE determines from an expert opinion that a cascading failure would cause a hazard beyond 1 mile, then this application is fatally flawed, literally. At some point it is incumbent on the Congress of the United States to act upon the recommendations of the GAO, which is an agency funded and created by us as an independent branch of government.
When GAO says that it is premature to conclude that LNGs are safe in populous areas of our Nation, then we have an obligation to act on that advice. This amendment accomplishes that goal. I strongly urge its passage.
Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut.
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