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TransEnergie U.S., Ltd. Cross Sound Cable Project
New Haven, Connecticut to Brookhaven, New York |
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ESS Group, Inc. provided full environmental regulatory services for the submarine electric cable crossing of Long Island Sound, which represents the first merchant electric transmission line constructed in the United States. Environmental permits were required from Connecticut and New York as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
ESS performed a routing study to determine acceptable areas to locate the cable landfalls as well as the submarine cable route. After completing the desktop regulatory/routing studies, ESS planned and directed five marine geophysical and geotechnical field investigations along proposed and alternate submarine cable routes that used marine remote sensing equipment and standard sediment sampling techniques to assess hydrographic, sub-bottom, marine archaeological, and geotechnical conditions. ESS managed the completion of environmental resource evaluations related to estuarine resources (fisheries, benthos, shellfish), avian resources, endangered and threatened species, water and marine sediment quality, and coastal wetlands.
Federal, state (New York and Connecticut), and local permit applications were prepared and approved for the Project including: a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need from the Connecticut Siting Council, Permits to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CTDEP) Office of Long Island Sounds Program, Article VII Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need from the New York State Department of Public Service, Coastal Zone Management Federal Consistency Certification from the New York State Department of State Coastal Management Program, and joint application and review by the New England and New York Districts of the USACE.
The cable system was installed during the spring of 2002. ESS provided on-site services during the horizontal directional drill performed at the New Haven landfall and during dredging operations in the Brookhaven near-shore portion of the route. ESS managed post-installation benthic monitoring surveys and reporting, and provided technical support for supplemental cable burial efforts.
The cable system has been operational since June 2004.
Relevant Services Include:
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Geophysical and Geotechnical Marine Investigations
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ASTM Phase I Environmental Site Assessments
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Finfish, Benthos, Shellfish Resource Evaluations
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Biological Impact Assessments
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Marine Sediment Quality Assessments
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Wetland Resource Area Delineation and Characterization
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Environmental Permit Application Preparation
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Regulatory Agency Negotiation
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Expert Witness Testimony
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Construction Consultation and Oversight
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