mr. chairman , i rise to express my support of the amendment offered by mr. castle to strike the liquefied natural gas ( lng ) siting provision in h.r. 6 . 
the language included in h.r. 6 silences the voices of state governments , local municipalities , and environmental advocacy organizations during the lng terminal site selection process . 
mr. chairman , the language in h.r. 6 solidifying ferc 's exclusive role in the siting of lng terminals is entirely unnecessary . 
until recently , only one lng importation terminal existed in the country . 
there are now five in operation and 6 more have already been approved by federal regulators . 
the process for selecting sites and approving lng importation terminals is working and in no way requires removing partial-authority from states . 
the new ferc rule would be another example of catering to the already too powerful oil and gas industry . 
furthermore , when i cast my vote in support of mr. castle 's amendment to preserve states ' rights and strike this language from h.r. 6 , i know that i will also be speaking for many others residing in my district and across the nation . 
numerous organizations and legislative bodies who seek to be heard will speak through my vote , including , but certainly not limited to the league of conservation voters , national association of counties , u.s. public interest research group , national league of cities , u.s. conference of mayors , and the national conference of states legislatures , and so many more . 
a quarter-mile long floating lng importation terminal has been proposed in the long island sound between connecticut and long island . 
lawmakers and civic organizations at every level of government in my congressional district have expressed their opposition to this proposal and are furious at the prospect that their voices will be silenced during the ferc approval process . 
mr. castle 's amendment , if passed , will allow their opinions to count . 
the long island sound is an environmentally unique estuary that needs to be protected . 
the residents and elected officials of long island have fought vigorously for many years and spent millions of dollars to preserve the quality of life that the long island sound offers . 
additionally , our tourism and fishing industries , which provide billions of dollars to the state 's economy , will be threatened , as fishermen will undoubtedly be displaced . 
mr. chairman , i will speak for my constituents by lending my support to mr. castle 's amendment . 
i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan measure . 
