By Brian Bohl

SMITHTOWN, N.Y.-Calm seas and motor boats will be the aural stimuli on Long Island Sound this summer, instead of the clanging of dredging and construction.

That is music to the ears of Broadwater critics, who received major support from Gov. David Paterson last week. Joining politicians from the federal, state and local level, Paterson leveled a crushing blow against the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

Speaking in front of throngs of anti-Broadwater activists, Paterson said the state should look to other measures other than building a $700 million terminal located nine miles off Long Island’s shore. Broadwater officials said the project could save Long Islanders nearly $300 per year in energy bills by fulfilling the region’s need for natural gas.

“It would be a shame on us, it would be our fault if we couldn’t establish a responsible economic policy that would create a condition other than sacrificing one of our greatest naturally economic resources in order to achieve it,” Paterson said at a press conference.

Broadwater, a consortium of the Shell Oil Company, insisted that building the terminal would provide a good energy source. A nearly two-year public relations campaign failed to garner support from local lawmakers. Gov. M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut, a Republican, also opposed the project. The terminal would have been placed near the midway point between Long Island and Connecticut.

The project can still be revived if Broadwater appeals to the U.S. Department of Commerce or takes its case to court. John Hritcko, a senior vice president and project director for the company, said Broadwater’s benefits would outweigh the negatives.

“We’re so populated in this area, it’s very difficult to bring new pipelines or alternative sources of energy into this region,” Hritcko said in an interview before Paterson’s announcement. “This would bring a new supply directly into this area, delivered on our doorstep virtually and using existing pipeline systems. This gives us access to the market. It provides the gas where it’s needed and when it’s needed.”

Adrienne Esposito, the executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, was one of Broadwater’s most outspoken critics. The project would have been detrimental to the environment and threaten the beach’s ascetically pleasing features, Esposito said. But Esposito said she feared Broadwater’s financial backing would outweigh even political opposition.

“There were many dark moments in this campaign where we thought we had lost,” she said. “We were up against one the globe’s most aggressive corporations and most powerful forces. They can exert political pressure where they want and when they want. We were the grassroots groups.”

Broadwater officials countered by saying liquefied natural gas can be a good energy source. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determined that the project would not negatively impact the environment.

“It will lead to cleaner air because natural gas is a cleaner, more efficient fossil fuel,” Hritcko said. “It would also diversify our supply sources. Broadwater will deliver this gas directly to the area by using the pipelines delivered to the region.”

Opponents also point to Broadwater’s security risks in case of an explosion or terrorist attack. Cooled to 260 degrees Fahrenheit, liquified natural gas could generate intense fires capable of incinerating anything within a radius of over a mile from the installation. The Government Accountability Office concluded last year that more research was needed on the security risks. Regardless of safety concerns, critics like Esposito said public support favored the project’s termination. Her group alone collected 60,000 handwritten letters and 100,000 petition signatures, helping to convince public officials to line up against Broadwater.

“After the public really came out in force and all the elected leaders came on board, we were still uncertain if we were going to win,” Esposito said. “It was a phenomenal event to see key elected leaders from senators to congressman to the state and local levels all join together and still be uncertain about the outcome.”

“It will be a battle we’ll never forget,” Esposito said. “We hope we never have to do it again. Democracy is reborn in New York.”