Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes, no state agency, including, but not limited to, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Connecticut Siting Council within said department, shall consider or render a final decision for any applications relating to electric power line crossings, gas pipeline crossings or telecommunications crossings of Long Island Sound that have required or will require a certificate issued pursuant to section 16-50k or approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission including, but not limited to, electrical power line, gas pipeline or telecommunications applications that are pending or received after June 3, 2002, for a period of three years after June 3, 2002. Such moratorium shall not apply to applications relating solely to the maintenance, repair or replacement necessary for repair of electrical power lines, gas pipelines or telecommunications facilities currently used to provide service to customers located on islands or peninsulas off the Connecticut coast or harbors, embayments, tidal rivers, streams or creeks. An applicant may seek a waiver of such moratorium by submitting a petition to the following: The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and the environment, the chairman of the Connecticut Siting Council, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, and any other state agency head with jurisdiction over the subject of the petition. Such persons may grant a petition for a waiver by unanimous consent. Nothing in this section or sections 25-157a to 25-157c, inclusive, shall be construed to affect the project in the corridor across Long Island Sound, from Norwalk to Northport, New York, to replace the existing electric cables that cross the sound.

(P.A. 02-95, S. 1; P.A. 03-123, S. 6; 03-148, S. 1; P.A. 04-109, S. 12; 04-222, S. 5; P.A. 11-80, S. 1, 77; P.A. 14-134, S. 125.)

History: P.A. 02-95 effective June 3, 2002; P.A. 03-123 made a technical change; P.A. 03-148 limited types of crossings subject to moratorium to those that require a certificate issued pursuant to Sec. 16-50k or approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, changed moratorium from one year to two years and eliminated provision re task force chaired by the Institute of Sustainable Energy, effective June 26, 2003; P.A. 04-109 made a technical change, effective May 21, 2004; P.A. 04-222 extended moratorium from two years to three years after June 3, 2002, and specified parties to whom applicant for moratorium waiver shall submit petition, effective June 8, 2004; P.A. 11-80 changed “Department of Environmental Protection” to “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection”, added provision re Connecticut Siting Council within said department, deleted “chairperson of the Public Utilities Control Authority” and changed “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection”, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 14-134 deleted reference to Sec. 16-244j, effective June 6, 2014.