Governor Andrew Cuomo today vetoed the
Port Ambrose Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port, citing security and
economic concerns along with the potential to negatively impact
off-shore wind development. The project, which had been proposed by
Liberty Natural Gas, LLC, required approval from both Governor Cuomo and
New Jersey Governor Christie under the federal Deepwater Port Act.
Governor Cuomo detailed his full position in a letter sent today to the
U.S. Maritime Administration. A copy of that letter is available here.
“My administration carefully reviewed this
project from all angles, and we have determined that the security and
economic risks far outweigh any potential benefits,” said Governor Cuomo.
“Superstorm Sandy taught us how quickly things can go from bad to worse
when major infrastructure fails – and the potential for disaster with
this project during extreme weather or amid other security risks is
simply unacceptable. Port Ambrose would also hinder the local maritime
economy in a way that negatively impacts businesses throughout Long
Island, and that is simply unacceptable. This is a common-sense
decision, because vetoing this project is in the best interests of New
Yorkers.”
The Deepwater Port Act requires approval
from the governor of each adjacent coastal state before a deepwater port
license is issued. For the Port Ambrose project, both New York and New
Jersey are adjacent coastal states.
The Governor’s review found that the project
posed inherent and unanswered security risks to the region. The
potential for catastrophic impacts during extreme weather events was
also found to be unacceptable. Additionally, the project posed
significant disruptions to commercial and recreational maritime
activities, and would also have interfered with a critical off-shore
wind power project proposed by the New York Power Authority.
Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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