Atlantic Sea Island Group, LLC, Safe Harbor Energy LNG Deepwater Port License Application

U.S. Department of Transportation Docket Management Facility 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE West Building, Room W12-140 Washington, DC 20590-001 February 8, 2009 Docket ID # USCG-2007-28535 Sirs: The Monmouth County League of Women Voters, a non-partisan, non-profit public interest organization, has long held positions regarding the environment and energy which cause us to be concerned with this proposal. While we are assured that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be a thorough investigation, we are, nonetheless, worried about secondary, as well as primary, impacts. Among our concerns are the impact to ocean bottom eco-systems from the island, impact of the island on ocean currents and bottom topography, and the effect on fisheries and surf. But these are just our primary concerns. Secondary concerns, of very real importance to our residents in Monmouth County, include impact on surfing, recreational fishing, boating, beaches and shoreline. All of these areas impact the tourism industry and the property values of our citizens. These economic concerns are doubly important in a time of recovery from a severe recession. We would like to see an analysis of these effects included in the EIS. Furthermore, this entire project adds to our continued dependence on fossil fuels and foreign energy sources. The recent experience whereby Europe lost its natural gas supply because of animosity between two foreign powers epitomizes our concern. We believe that increasing foreign energy dependence at a time when we are striving to broaden our use of renewable energy resources in this county is counterproductive. Increasing our dependence on fossil fuels, in the face of climate change, could ultimately lead to the exacerbation of the political, economic, and public health situation. We urge the careful evaluation of the above issues when drafting the EIS. We thank you for your attention to these matters. Esther Greenberg, President Monmouth County League of Women Voters Louise Usechak, Natural Resources Director louiseusechak@comcast.net