Environmental advocates and state legislators rallied for what they see as the final battle to defeat a proposed liquefied natural gas facility off the coast of Monmouth County.
“We’re here today to reaffirm our opposition to Port Ambrose and the lack of a need for such a facility in the middle of our ocean,” said Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, about the Port Ambrose Deepwater Port proposed by Liberty Natural Gas.
“This is really a seven-year battle, and the final battle is beginning right now.”
Clean Ocean Action has been opposing the project since its inception seven years ago and, according to Zipf, has the support of a coalition of New Jersey and New York environmental, faith and labor organizations,
Zipf said at an Oct. 6 press conference that was held on the beach in Sea Bright and billed as “Gov. Christie Get Your Veto Pen Ready” that the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed facility is expected to be released in mid-October by the Maritime Administration (MARAD).
There will also be a final public hearing, which she believes could take place during the first week of November.
In March of this year, MARAD and the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the review process, citing public and governmental interest surrounding the proposal for the port, which would be located 15 miles off the coast of Sandy Hook and 29 miles off the coast of Long Branch.
LNG, based in Jersey City, is a portfolio company of a fund advised by Torontobased investment management firm West Face Capital.
Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, also spoke about the dangers of building a facility in a post-superstorm Sandy world.
“If we have [a liquefied natural gas port] out there when there is another storm, it’s a bomb waiting to go off,” said Tittle.
State Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth), called on Gov. Chris Christie to again veto the proposal.
“No will be no. today, 10 years from today and 20 years from today. They need to go home,” said Beck, adding the “misguided” proposal for the facility would add no new jobs, revenue or energy resources for the state. “It is dangerous for our environment, the safety of this region.” “I have no reason to think that Gov. Christie would not veto the LNG project. He did it once, and he’s been unequivocal in his opposition,” said Beck.
For Jim Walsh, Mid-Atlantic Region director for Food & Water Watch, building the liquefied natural gas facility would continue the region’s reliance on fossil fuel as well as create greenhouse gases that could present a future problem.
“This is an unnecessary project that locks future generations into dependence on fossil fuels,’ said Walsh.
He also warned of methane gas, which is a key component of natural gas, saying it is more dangerous than emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
“The heat-trapping capacity of the methane that comes through this is 20 times greater than carbon dioxide itself. We’re sitting here on a ticking time bomb for so many reasons if you look at this project being put forward.”
Zipf, who said she has been fighting for seven years to keep the ocean free of a liquid natural gas facility, said she believes the governor will live up to his promise to veto the proposal to build the facility off the Jersey Shore.
In 2010, the governor vetoed a proposal to build a liquefied natural gas facility off the coast of Asbury Park.
At the press conference, Zipf played a video clip of Christie stating that he would veto any proposal to build the port off the coast.
“It is my belief that he will again stand his ground and veto this proposal when he has the opportunity,” said Beck.
According to the draft EIS, if approved, the facility would import an estimated 400 million cubic feet of liquefied natural gas per day. Port Ambrose would be connected via a proposed 22-mile pipeline, which would feed into Transco’s existing Lower New York Bay Lateral pipeline. Large tankers would deliver natural gas to the port about 45 times a year.
Contact Michael Nunes at [email protected].