Opinion ID: 1318039
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Islander East's Challenges to the Findings

Text: Islander East argues that the CTDEP exaggerates both the area and impact of these strikes and sweeps. It submits that the CTDEP erroneously included in its calculations of the anchor corridor an area of seabed bordering the exit pit and dredge section from milepost 10.9 to milepost 12, thereby inflating the area affected by anchor strikes and cable sweep by 322 acres. Further, the CTDEP erroneously assumed that the full 1,200 feet of anchor cable would sweep the sea floor. Finally, Islander East asserts that, even within the identified corridor of strikes and sweeps, the actual damage would be slight. While the first argument may have some merit, none persuades us that the CTDEP's 2006 Denial was arbitrary or capricious. First, the CTDEP's finding that Islander East would utilize an anchor-propelled barge in the relatively shallow waters above the exit pit and dredge section may have been erroneous in light of evidence indicating that Islander East had modified its plans to avoid using an anchor array in that area. See Letter from Arthur J. Rocque, Jr., Comm'r, CTDEP, to Gene H. Muhlherr, Jr., Islander East (July 29, 2003); see also 2006 Denial, App. A at 2; Permit Application, Installation Methodology at 1. Even assuming such error, however, the evidence of anchor strikes and cable sweeps in waters between mileposts 12 and 20 was sufficient to support the CTDEP's finding of a significant loss of existing and designated shellfishing use. [12] Second, we identify no clear error in the CTDEP's conclusion that an anchor corridor scarred by anchor strikes and cable sweeps would be lost in its entirety to shellfishing. The CTDEP reached this conclusion, not because it assumed that all 1,200 feet of anchor cable would sweep the sea floor, as petitioner alleges, but because it found that the depressions left by plowing, anchor strikes, and even reduced cable sweep would make it too difficult for harvesting equipment to operate throughout the corridor. See 2006 Denial at 70 & n. 84 (distinguishing between shellfish habitat and cultivable shellfish beds). Evidence showed that shellfishermen would not venture into such scarred terrain for fear of damaging their equipment. See id. at 70-71; Memorandum from John H. Volk, Conn. Dep't of Agric., to Sue Jacobson, CTDEP at 2 (Oct. 4, 2002) (noting that topographic irregularities caused by dredging will render area unsuitable for commercial fishing and shellfishing and that project will result in a multitude of `scars' and significant benthic irregularities caused by numerous sets of anchors, spuds, and cable sweeps....). Larry Williams, a commercial shellfisherman, not only testified that shellfish harvesting dredges could not operate in areas of topographical irregularity, see Conn. Siting Council Hearing Tr. at 128, Apr. 17, 2002 ([I]f you're left with a bottom topography that's so upset and irregular and soft here and hard there ... it basically becomes undredgeable, the dredges don't work, they'll cut into a high spot, they'll drop into a low spot ... it just doesn't work.), he stated that he had personally observed such irregularities in an area damaged by a 1991 installation of a natural gas pipeline, the Iroquois pipeline, see 2006 Denial at 43 (citing Conn. Siting Council Hearing Tr. at 93, 96, Apr. 17, 2002). While Williams testified that it might be possible to navigate around anchor strikes and cable sweeps if the holes were mapped with GPS coordinate geometry and sonar mapping was furnished, Conn. Siting Council Hearing Tr. at 99, Apr. 17, 2002, nothing in the record demonstrated the availability of this technology, much less the likelihood of its successful application or Islander East's commitment to supplying it. Cf. Letter from Gene Muhlherr, Jr., Islander East, to Charles H. Evans, CTDEP (May 27, 2003) (referencing Islander East's commitment to provide an `as built' survey of the coordinates of the pipeline following construction, with no mention of mapping individual anchor strikes or cable sweeps (emphasis added)). On this record, the CTDEP's failure to reference speculative and extraordinary mitigation measures in its consideration of lost use hardly renders its conclusions arbitrary or capricious. Third, the CTDEP did not act arbitrarily or capriciously in failing to embrace Dr. Zajac's opinion that the proposed pipeline would result in only minimal cable scarring. See Conn. Siting Council Hearing Tr. at 55, Apr. 12, 2002 (testifying that cable sweeping would probably disturb [only] the upper ... few centimeters of the sediment). Evidence before the agency indicated that the degree of cable scarring can vary widely even in a single body of water depending on the distance of the cable from the anchor and the composition of the seabed. See 2006 Denial at 41 (noting that, in pipeline installation in Gulf of Mexico, depth of cable scarring ranged from 4 to 12 inches); [13] cf. Power Auth. of New York v. FERC, 743 F.2d 93, 111 (2d Cir.1984) (observing that, although reasonable minds could differ as to the inferences that might be drawn from the proof, agency's finding supported by substantial evidence must be upheld). Further, it was not arbitrary or capricious for the CTDEP to consider sediment dispersal caused by sweeps as well as strikes in assessing the loss of waters available for shellfishing. The CTDEP's finding relied on the FEIS, which referenced anchor strikes and cable sweeps without differentiation in observing that, once sediment is released from the sea floor, it loses density and cohesiveness and becomes more susceptible to erosion. See 2006 Denial at 47. The FEIS further indicated that long-lasting depressions associated with anchor strikes and cable sweeps can act as sediment traps, which, in turn, can lead to anoxic sediments that develop considerably different communities from the original deposits and a long-term conversion of benthic habitat. Id. (quoting FEIS 3-65 (internal quotation marks omitted)). While the FERC concluded that remedial measures might be devised to minimize this effect, there was record evidence before the CTDEP suggesting that depressions caused by strikes and sweeps would, in fact, be long lasting. Shellfisherman Williams testified that, over a period of some four years, he had observed the persistent scarring to the seabed caused by installation of the Iroquois gas pipeline. See id. at 43. Islander East submits that, because the CTDEP approved the Iroquois pipeline as consistent with Connecticut's water quality standards, it cannot rationally conclude otherwise with respect to Islander East's pipeline proposal. This argument misses the essential point that the CTDEP, with the benefit of hindsight, has now concluded that the Iroquois pipeline failed to comply with the state's water quality standards, and it is this realization that now informs its denial of the Islander East proposal. It is well recognized that an agency must be given ample latitude to adapt [its] rules and policies to the demands of changing circumstances. State Farm, 463 U.S. at 42, 103 S.Ct. 2856 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). Here the changed circumstances are the observed adverse effects of the Iroquois pipeline despite the passage of time. In Islander East I, we faulted the CTDEP for failing to acknowledge that Islander East proposed to employ more advanced technology than had been available at the time of the Iroquois pipeline installation, see 482 F.3d at 103, or to point to evidence indicating that [such improvements] would have been inadequate to avoid the topographic irregularities caused by the Iroquois installation, id. at 104. The CTDEP has now acknowledged considerable technological advancements since the installation of the Iroquois pipeline; nevertheless, it found that Islander East's employment of improved techniques would, at best, minimize ... but not eliminate the anticipated effects of anchor strike and cable sweep impacts. 2006 Denial at 43. Substantial evidence supports the CTDEP's finding that the technological and methodological advances that distinguish the Islander East pipeline proposal from the Iroquois pipeline would not sufficiently reduce the risk of damage caused by anchor strikes and cable sweep to avoid the loss of the existing and designated shellfishing use of a significant area. In the face of scientific or technical uncertainty as to the scope of adverse effects from proposed action, nothing in the APA prevents an agency from considering a worst case scenario. Cf. New York v. Reilly, 969 F.2d 1147, 1152 (D.C.Cir.1992) ([E]ven if [agency's] prediction did take into account the worst case scenario, its action would be permissible.). Thus, we cannot conclude that the CTDEP's consideration of the adverse consequences of the Iroquois pipeline installation in issuing the 2006 Denial was arbitrary or capricious. Islander East further argues that it was arbitrary and capricious for the CTDEP to deny it certification despite, in 2002, allowing the Cross Sound Cable Company to bury heavy power transmission cables beneath Long Island Sound. The latter project is distinguishable in at least two important respects. First, it does not appear to have presented significant problems of anchor strikes and cable sweeps. The narrower trench needed to accommodate power cables was dug, not with a mechanical plow towed by barges, but with a Smartjet rig, a remotely operated vessel that used pressurized water to fluidize sediments into which the ... cables would settle. Conn. Siting Council, Finding of Facts, Dkt. No. 208 at 13 (Jan. 3, 2002); see also Task Force on Long Island Sound, Comprehensive Assessment and Report, Part II, Environmental Resources and Energy Infrastructure of Long Island Sound at 78 (June 3, 2003) (Task Force Report). The schematics attached to the Cross Sound Cable Company's permit application indicate a 100-foot work corridor, with no mention of an anchor corridor or indication of anchor use. See CTDEP, Permit No. 200102720-MG (Mar. 17, 2002). Second, while the Cross Sound Cable project traversed shellfishing beds, the beds at issue were dormant with no evidence of foreseeable future use. The record indicated that the cable path traveled 3.75 miles along an existing navigation route, the Federal Navigation Channel, in order to substantially avoid cultivated shellfish beds. Task Force Report at 78. To the extent shellfish beds were delineated within the Federal Navigation Channel, they were not now, and have not been actively cultivated for at least the previous five years. Conn. Siting Council, Findings of Fact at 21. Thus, in contrast to this case, where the CTDEP found that Islander East's pipeline project would cause a long-term loss of shellfishing beds in existing or foreseeable future use, the Cross Sound Cable project implicated only dormant beds that were expected to remain so. Where circumstances are thus distinguishable, the different CTDEP rulings do not demonstrate arbitrary or capricious decision-making. See State Farm, 463 U.S. at 42, 103 S.Ct. 2856. In sum, in light of the totality of the evidence supporting the CTDEP's finding of lost use, as well as its finding that Islander East had failed to demonstrate that it would (or even could) restore the scarred seabed within a reasonable time to its pre-installation condition, we conclude that the agency did not act arbitrarily or capriciously in denying a water quality certification to build the pipeline. b. Engineered Backfill While the CTDEP's findings as to the lost shellfishing use caused by anchor strikes and cable sweeps, by itself, warrants our denial of Islander East's petition, that conclusion is further supported by the agency's identified concerns regarding the ability of engineered backfill to restore 5.5 acres of shellfish habitat that would be destroyed by dredging the exit pit and the adjoining mile-long trench. See 2006 Denial at 65-69, 81. Once again, the CTDEP's concern derives from the site of the proposed pipeline. The exit pit and trench would be dredged in nearshore waters, 13 to 20 feet deep, that are used and designated for shellfishing. Although Islander East had originally planned to mound dredged material adjacent to the pit and trench for subsequent backfill, evidence indicated that waves and wind-generated currents in the affected waters posed a serious risk of dispersing sidecast spoil into the water, resulting in sedimentation. See id. at 36. Apparently, sediment deposits a few millimeters thick may smother some benthic species, including juvenile oysters. Id. at 51-52 (citing Letter from John C. Roberge, Roberge Associates Coastal Engineers, LLC, to John Opie, First Selectman, Town of Branford at 2 (Feb. 4, 2004)). To alleviate these concerns, Islander East proposed to remove the dredged sediment and to use an engineered material consisting of small rocks and sand to refill the trench. In denying certification, the CTDEP noted [d]iscrepancies in the record regarding the precise composition of this engineered material, which made it impossible to assess the full extent of resulting sedimentation and the scour resistance of the backfill. Id. at 38-39. More important, the CTDEP noted that no reasonable prediction of benthic community establishment could be made without knowing the exact sediment grain size difference between the existing native substrate that would be removed and the new backfill that would replace it. Id. at 39. Islander East concedes what the record confirms, i.e., that [t]he composition of the backfill is unresolved. Petitioner's Br. at 28; see 2006 Denial at 36-37 (comparing Islander East proposal to use sand on top of rock or gravel less than 4 inches in diameter with Haley & Aldrich Report recommending no more than 2-inch diameter gravel together with .187-inch coarse sand and small percentage of fine sand). Nevertheless, it submits that it should not be denied a permit for its good faith efforts to mitigate the CTDEP's concerns about the sedimentation of dredged materials. Islander East's argument might be persuasive if the CTDEP had imposed a supplemental condition on an otherwise meritorious certification application. But that is not the case. It is undisputed that the usual practice of casting dredged spoil to the side of a trench for subsequent backfill raised legitimate concerns about sedimentation along the proposed pipeline route. Thus, Islander East's application was not meritorious without the inclusion of a concrete proposal for adequate backfill mitigation measures. In proposing alternative backfill materials to carry its certification burden, Islander East introduced new concerns about the suitability of foreign backfill as shellfish habitat. It was not arbitrary or capricious for the CTDEP to have noted those concerns or to have sought their resolution preliminary to granting certification. In Islander East I, we faulted the CTDEP for failing both to cite record evidence supporting its summary conclusion that engineered backfill would permanently degrade the benthic substrate along the pipeline route, 482 F.3d at 102, and to acknowledge evidence suggesting likely recovery, see id., at 102-03. The agency has now addressed both points at length, explaining why it gave little weight to those studies predicting rapid restoration of shellfish habitat based on seabed recovery from natural disturbances. 2006 Denial at 66. The CTDEP expressed no reason to doubt that, under perfect circumstances, in the native substrate, benthic organisms would eventually recover. The three to five year recovery predictions offered in the above-referenced scientific studies are generally based on observations of benthic community succession following dredging or other disturbances such as storm events which redeposit [] naturally-occurring sediment which is not the case with the activity proposed by Islander East. The habitat needs to recover before the benthic organisms can recolonize the area.... [T]he primary factor in recovery time is first obtaining habitat suitability. Id. at 67 (emphasis in original). Moreover, the agency noted no available studies that offer predictions on benthic colonization in an entirely new, and very different material than the native substrate. Id. at 68. Observing that the native substrate to be displaced by Islander East's proposed pipeline consisted of compact, fine-grained sediments, see id. at 69, the CTDEP cited evidence indicating that the replacement of such material with a predominantly rocky backfill would not only deprive soft shellfish of a medium into which they could burrow, it would also attract shellfish predators, see id. at 6, 68-69 (citing comments of John H. Volk, Connecticut Department of Agriculture). Although Islander East submitted a report indicating that rocky backfill could actually promote habitat diversity by improv[ing] conditions for two valuable commercial species, oyster and lobster, TRC Envtl. Corp., Evaluation of Benthic Impacts Associated with Islander East's Modified Offshore Construction Techniques ง 4 (Feb. 17, 2003), we cannot conclude that the CTDEP acts arbitrarily or capriciously when it fails to view a potential increase in certain shellfish species as an adequate offset for the decrease in other species, such as soft-sediment clams. This sort of balancing falls squarely within the agency's environmental expertise, and is consistent with the federal anti-degradation mandate that [s]pecies that are in the water body and which are consistent with the designated use ... must be protected, even if not prevalent in number or importance. Questions and Answers on Antidegradation, in EPA, Water Quality Standards Handbook, App. G at 3 (2d ed.1994) (emphasis in original). Islander East submits that the CTDEP failed to note its alternative proposal to backfill the trench with sand, a substance that would avoid the noted predator concern. See Letter from Joe Reinemann, Islander East, to Joanne Wachholder, FERC, et al. (Apr. 17, 2003). While this evidence may demonstrate Islander East's good faith willingness to explore alternatives, absent a further showing that a sand backfill would likely restore the affected 5.5 acres to shellfish habitat, we identify no abuse of discretion in the CTDEP's failure specifically to address this alternative. Cf. 2006 Denial at 66, 69 (noting that original substrate was plastic and cohesive, so that, while sand would be a better backfill than rock, it would not be as good as silt in restoring shellfish habitat). This is not to foreclose the possibility that some engineered backfill might be identified to provide adequate assurance of habitat restoration along the proposed pipeline. But in the absence of such a showing by Islander East, we conclude that the CTDEP did not act arbitrarily or capriciously in relying on the lost use attributable to backfill concerns as well as the lost use attributable to anchor strikes and cable sweeps in denying certification. c. Sedimentation and Drilling Fluid Release The CTDEP cited two additional reasons for denying Islander East a water quality certification: (1) dredging and plowing (even with spoil removal) would cause sedimentation, adversely affecting more than 80 acres of shellfish habitat, see id. at 50-55; and (2) planned and unplanned releases of drilling fluid would destroy at least 3.55 acres of shellfish habitat, see id. at 56-65. While both concerns are legitimate, we identify some evidentiary issues with the CTDEP's conclusions that might warrant remand in the absence of the aforementioned grounds to deny the petition. [14] (1) Sedimentation In its discussion of sedimentation, the CTDEP cited evidence that sediment deposits of 1 millimeter could cause 50 percent mortality in some benthic species while deposits of 2 millimeters could cause 100 percent mortality in the same species. See id. at 51-52 (noting further that juvenile oysters could be adversely affected by as little as 3 millimeters of sediment). While applauding Islander East's use of installation methods that would reduce sedimentation, the CTDEP concluded that sedimentation associated with the project would still harm a sufficiently significant area of both natural habitat and prime shellfishing beds to preclude certification. Id. at 50-51. In choosing among conflicting reports of the degree of sedimentation likely to result from installation of the Islander East pipeline, the CTDEP found the study conducted by Roberge Associates most reliable in terms of predicted amount and extent of sediment dispersion. Id. at 53. That study estimated that a 3-millimeter layer of sediment would be deposited over approximately 35 acres of sea floor stretching 131 feet from the centerline of the pipeline trench. See id. at 53. Almost all of this acreage qualified as town or state shellfish beds. See id. at 55 (indicating that 3-millimeter sedimentation would affect 26.52 acres of Branford shellfish beds and 7.97 acres of state shellfish beds). The Roberge study estimated that dredging would also deposit a 1-millimeter layer of sediment over approximately 70 acres. See Letter from John C. Roberge, Roberge Associates Coastal Engineers, LLC, to John Opie, First Selectman, Town of Branford at 3-4 (Feb. 4, 2004). In its brief to this court, the CTDEP now concedes that the Roberge study is mathematically flawed, resulting in a significant overstatement of the area affected by sedimentation. The agency reduces its identification of the affected area to 6.2 acres covered by 3 millimeters of sediment and 12.3 acres covered by 1 millimeter of sediment. See Respondent's Br. at 51 n. 24. Islander East asserts that this recalculation is itself flawed because it double counts certain acres. See Petitioner's Reply Br. at 23 n. 27. We need not resolve this dispute because, even if were to assume the correctness of the CTDEP's recalculation, the agency does not explain how discrete sedimentation exposure in this smaller area will cause more than a temporary loss of either benthic species or use of the waters for shellfishing. Thus, were sedimentation the sole ground for denying certification, we would remand to afford the agency the opportunity to address this question. See, e.g., Li Hua Lin v. United States Dep't of Justice, 453 F.3d 99, 111 (2d Cir.2006) (remanding based on factual error critical to agency conclusion). We do not do so because, for reasons already discussed, we conclude that the denial of certification is rationally supported by other findings of lost use satisfactorily grounded in record evidence. Cf. National Ass'n of Home Builders v. Defenders of Wildlife, ___ U.S. ___, 127 S.Ct. 2518, 2530, 168 L.Ed.2d 467 (2007) (`In administrative law, as in federal civil and criminal litigation, there is a harmless error rule.' (quoting PDK Labs., Inc. v. United States Drug Enforcement Admin., 362 F.3d 786, 799 (D.C.Cir.2004))). (2) Drilling Fluid Release In its initial denial of certification, the CTDEP conclusorily found (1) that the use of horizontal drilling technology at the first step of pipeline installation was inconsistent with state water quality standards because 455 barrels of drilling fluid would be released when the drill exited the sea floor at milepost 10.9; and (2) that unplanned releases of fluid, or frac-outs, would occur in the course of drilling. In the absence of further findings as to the likelihood of frac-outs and the adverse consequences of fluid releases to shellfish habitat, we held this rationale insufficient to support denial. See Islander East I, 482 F.3d at 100 (noting that we may not supply a reasoned basis for the agency's action that the agency itself has not given (quoting State Farm, 463 U.S. at 43, 103 S.Ct. 2856)). In its 2006 Denial, the CTDEP addressed both points. As evidence of the likelihood of frac-outs in the Islander East project, the CTDEP cited reports of such occurrences in at least half of the [horizontal drilling] projects it ha[d] regulated. 2006 Denial at 61. Further, noting that frac-outs are most likely to occur at substrate transitions, e.g., from a sedimentary to a rocky area, the CTDEP observed that the geological characteristics of the Thimble Islands indicated many such transitions. See id. On this record, we cannot conclude that the agency's identified concern with likely frac-outs on the Islander East project was arbitrary or capricious. To support its conclusions concerning the adverse effect of drilling fluid on shellfish habitat, the CTDEP pointed to evidence supplied by Michael Ludwig, an employee of the National Marine Fisheries Service. See id. at 57 & App. H. Mindful that drilling fluid is 97 percent fresh water and 3 percent bentonite clay, Ludwig explained that shellfish cannot live in fresh water. When exposed to drilling fluid, they close their shells to hold [their] breath. Id. In doing so, the shellfish inevitably pull in some clay, which would lodge in their gills. As they reopen to expel the clay, the shellfish are exposed to fresh water, causing them to close again, trapping in more clay. As the cycle repeats itself, the shellfish, unable to breath, suffocate. See id. The risk of such suffocation depends, in large part, on drilling fluid remaining fixed in place rather than dispersing. The evidence on this point was conflicting. While certain studies suggested rapid dissipation, see 2006 Denial, App. H at 3-4 (reprinting Larry Gedney, Drilling Mud Poses Little Environmental Hazard, Alaska Science Forum (May 7, 1984) (noting that after an insubstantial amount of time, currents dissipated the [drilling] fluids to levels that were innocuous)); Garrett Group Ltd., Preliminary Report on the Anticipated Biological Impacts Associated with the Proposed Islander East Pipeline Project at 10 (May 8, 2003) (stating that drilling fluids rapidly dissipate into any background concentrations), other evidence indicated that drilling fluid tends to be resistant to dispersion when placed in saline waters, Email from Michael Ludwig, National Marine Fisheries Service, to Sue Jacobson, CTDEP at 1 (Sept. 29, 2003). The CTDEP chose to rely on Michael Ludwig's opinion and the FEIS prepared for the FERC for the conclusion that, because `drilling fluids flocculate [lump together] and settle to the bottom,' 2006 Denial at 57 (quoting FEIS 3-53) (modification in original), [d]ispersion by dilution of this gel-like mud into the water column is unlikely, id. (citing FEIS 3-54). Where reasonable minds might thus differ on a point, an agency's resolution of competing evidence cannot be deemed arbitrary and capricious. See Universal Camera Corp. v. NLRB, 340 U.S. at 488, 71 S.Ct. 456 (holding that reviewing court may not displace agency's choice between two fairly conflicting views of evidence). Recognizing the risks associated with the release of drilling fluid, Islander East advised the CTDEP of its willingness to develop plans to contain and recover the substance. It submitted a containment plan offering alternative proposals, deferring its final choice until after a horizontal drilling contractor had been selected. The CTDEP found these proposals to be vague and largely inadequate. 2006 Denial at 31; see also id. at 58. We cannot review this finding because Islander East has not included its alternative proposals in the appendix on appeal and the CTDEP has not filed a certified administrative record as required by Fed. R.App. P. 17(a). To the extent the CTDEP disagreed with Islander East's proposed definition of a significant release of drilling fluid into the Sound, see id. at 57-58, however, we note a concern. Islander East's proposed threshold for identifying a significant release warranting removal action was based on several factors, including, inter alia, (1) the ability to contain the release within a 200 foot wide corridor centered on the HDD drill path, and (2) whether such deposits exceed 24 inches in depth. 2006 Denial at 58. Referencing evidence that sedimentation deposits of as little as 1-2 millimeters could adversely affect benthic organisms, the CTDEP concluded that the proposed 24-inch threshold was too high to satisfy state water quality standards. Id. The CTDEP does not point to any evidence, however, supporting an analogy between the levels of sedimentation and drilling fluid that would cause a loss of shellfishing use. While we might remand to afford the agency an opportunity to clarify this point, because we have identified other reasons for agency denial of certification that are supported by record evidence, we conclude that no such remand is necessary. Cf. National Ass'n of Home Builders v. Defenders of Wildlife, 127 S.Ct. at 2530. Islander East points out that although the CTDEP rejected Islander East's proposal to define a significant release by reference to fluid deposits over 24 inches deep, it had approved a nearly identical definition in connection with the Cross Sound Cable Company's monitoring of its horizontal drilling. See CTDEP, Permit No. 200102720-MG, App. B at 6 (Mar. 17, 2002) (including within conditions which constitute a significant impact on water quality [d]rilling fluid depositional depths... exceed[ing] 24 inches at the interface with the containment fence). In contrast with the CTDEP's adverse experience with aspects of the Iroquois pipeline, which, as we have noted, provided a rational basis for the agency subsequently to reject similar aspects of the Islander East proposal, the CTDEP found no adverse effects arising out of Cross Sound Cable's horizontal drilling to support its rejection of Islander East's 24-inch threshold. Indeed, CTDEP provided Islander East with Cross Sound Cable's monitoring plan, including its definition of significant, as a reference. See Letter from Charles H. Evans, CTDEP, to Gene H. Muhlherr, Jr., Islander East at 7 (May 5, 2003) (enclosing redacted copy of Cross Sound Cable monitoring plan and stating monitoring plan will be required. Please refer to the enclosed sample for reference). While Islander East may have understood this reference to signal that its proposed monitoring plan should duplicate that of the Cross Sound Cable Company's, in light of the fact that the latter project's horizontal directional drilling would affect only dormant shellfishing beds while Islander East's drilling would affect active beds, we cannot conclude that it was arbitrary or capricious for the CTDEP to conclude that stricter release monitoring was necessary to assure water quality standards in this case.