New Jersey State Senator Urges Rejection of Port Ambrose LNG Project

A resolution sponsored by Senator Jennifer Beck calling on New York, New Jersey and federal officials to reject the proposed Liberty Natural Gas (LNG) Port Ambrose Project was advanced by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

LNG has applied to federal authorities for permission to build a port in the ocean 17 miles off the coast of Jones Beach on Long Island and 24 miles off Long Branch, New Jersey. The proposal requires approval from the U.S. Maritime Administration, the Coast Guard and the governors of New York and New Jersey. Governor Chris Christie rejected a similar proposal in 2011.

“The Governor was right to deny this potentially catastrophic project once and we can’t afford to let it move forward now either,” said Beck (R-Monmouth). “The environmental and ecological impacts this port could have on the shore and accompanying tourism, shipping and fishing industries are far too great to ignore. Besides the inherent risk, there’s no evidence of a shortage of natural gas that would necessitate having this import facility in the first place.”

The port would discharge 3.5 million gallons of chemically treated sea water and requires 20 miles of sea floor dredging to accommodate the pipeline.

“As a representative of Long Branch and other shore towns, I can’t accept inviting this type of risk and potential for decades of trouble to our communities that have already been through so much,” Beck concluded.

Beck’s resolution, SR120, must now go before the full Senate for a vote.

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LNG World News Staff, December 16, 2013; Image: Port Ambrose