To the delight of environmentalists assembled to hear the news, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced that he had vetoed a docking terminal off the coast of New York and New Jersey proposed for the transfer of liquefied natural gas.
David Giambusso of Politico New York was one of the first to report the news :
After years of outcry from environmentalists and lawmakers, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vetoed the proposed Port Ambrose liquefied natural gas facility off the coast of Long Island.
“The reward was not worth the risk and we’re going to veto the Port Ambrose plan,” Cuomo said during an event at the Long Beach Ice Arena Thursday.
The facility as planned would have been a docking station for barges of liquefied natural gas — gas that is cooled and condensed to liquid form for transport. Environmentalists and elected officials had decried the proposal as a potential environmental and security disaster waiting to happen just miles from New York Harbor, and Cuomo had previously expressed reservations about the project.
The Long Beach Ice Arena was packed with environmentalists who had anticipated the announcement and applauded Cuomo as he entered the room.
News of Cuomo’s veto, along with a statement from the governor, was leaked to Newsday earlier in the day.”It seems like you know why I’m here,” Cuomo said. “It was supposed to be a secret.”
Following the close of public comments last week on the final environmental impact statement, Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had until Dec. 21 to veto or approve the project, but Cuomo took little time in exercising his option to quash the proposal.
With his veto, the proposed facility cannot move forward.
The veto by New York’s Democrat governor may be welcome news to New Jersey’s Republican Gov. Chris Christie who vetoed a similar proposal in 2011 but now is competing among a flock of conservative candidates for the GOP presidential nomination.
Recent blog posts:
Use the social media icons below to share this post with others
