NEW YORK—Some New York City elected officials and environmentalists rallied on Monday against a plan to build a liquid natural gas terminal near New York Harbor and called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to veto the proposal they deemed an environmental danger.
Liberty Natural Gas wants to build a deepwater port in federal waters 19 miles off Jones Beach, New York, and 29 miles off Long Branch, New Jersey. The company said the Port Ambrose terminal would bring additional natural gas into the New York area during times of peak demand, thereby lowering home-heating prices.
But activists from both states, as well as some lawmakers, including State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Long Island), have voiced concerns about the plan. Several rallied at City Hall on Monday and asked Cuomo to put a stop to the massive project.
“Our message is plain and simple: you have an opportunity to get this right,” said City Council member Donovan Richards, the chairman of the Committee on Environmental Protection. “We have a chance to divorce fossil fuels and remarry renewable energy.”
