Opinion ID: 1318039
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Elimination of an Existing or Designated Use as a Consequence of the Pipeline Construction

Text: In considering Islander East's challenge to the second CTDEP finding โ that installation of the pipeline would result in the loss of commercial shellfish harvesting in the waters in the nearshore pipeline corridor โ we note at the outset that, in making this determination, the CTDEP discussed in considerably more detail than we include in this opinion a voluminous record of evidence relevant to (1) the geological development of the seabeds in question as valuable shellfish habitat, see 2006 Denial at 12-14; (2) the influence of tidal currents and marine conditions on this habitat, see id. at 14-16; (3) the sensitivity of the habitat to disturbances in the benthic substrate, see id. at 16-19; and (4) the traditional means of shellfish cultivation and harvesting in Connecticut's nearshore waters, see id. at 23-27. The CTDEP further reviewed evidence of (5) the methods Islander East proposed to use in installing the pipeline at issue, see id. at 27-39; and (6) the likely effects of such methods both generally on water quality and benthic substrate and specifically on the established use of shellfishing, see id. at 39-72. Thus, in contrast to Islander East I, the agency's second consideration of Islander East's application was more careful and thorough. This is not to say that the extensive evidence before the CTDEP pointed ineluctably in a single direction. To the contrary, the agency was frequently presented with conflicting quantitative findings and expert opinions. It was, however, the responsibility of the CTDEP, and not this court, to resolve record contradictions and to determine which evidence was most persuasive and what weight it deserved. See Universal Camera Corp. v. NLRB, 340 U.S. at 488, 71 S.Ct. 456. Mindful that it was Islander East's burden to demonstrate to the CTDEP that its pipeline project complied with state water quality standards, see Town of Newtown v. Keeney, 234 Conn. at 322 n. 5, 661 A.2d 589, we consider only whether the agency findings are sufficiently grounded in record evidence rationally to support the challenged conclusion that the proposed pipeline would result in a loss of existing and designated shellfishing use, see State Farm, 463 U.S. at 43, 103 S.Ct. 2856. a. The Effects of Anchor Strikes and Cable Sweeps .(1) The CTDEP's Findings The CTDEP found that the barges used to lay pipeline would generally be equipped with an array of 8 to 12 anchors, each anchor weighing from 7 to 15 tons and held in place by cables. 2006 Denial at 34. As a barge moves forward either to lay, plow, or backfill the pipeline, anchors would strike the seabed. Islander East's own evidence indicated that each anchor footprint would likely be 1 to 3 feet deep, disturbing 200 square feet of sediment. See id. at 41 (citing TRC Impact Analysis Report at 30 (Feb. 12, 2002) and the Gulfstream Report (surveying post-installation conditions in the Gulf of Mexico)). Meanwhile, cables attached to each anchor would drag along the bottom of the sea floor, cutting into the seabed โ albeit considerably less deeply than anchors โ and releasing further sediment into the water column. In depths of less than 50 feet, the anchor cables would extend 1,200 feet from each side of the barge, forming a corridor of construction activity approximately 2,400 feet wide. See id. at 46. Although midline buoys would suspend part of the anchor cable above the sea floor, as much as 600 feet of each cable line would still drag along the sea floor, leaving incisions. See id. at 34. In waters suitable for shellfish harvesting, i.e., at depths of less than 50 feet, the CTDEP concluded that the corridor affected by anchor strikes and cable sweeps would be 3.85 miles long, occupying a total area of about 1,120 acres that would no longer be available for shellfish harvesting. See id. at 40-41, 70, 80 (concluding that 588 acres of existing shellfishing and 531 acres designated for shellfishing would be lost).