Cuomo Vetoes Port Ambrose LNG Project, Clears Way for Offshore Wind Power
LONG BEACH, NY (November 12, 2015) – Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced he is vetoing the proposed Port Ambrose liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility off the cost of Long Island. The Natural Resources Defense Council is part of a coalition of environmental and community groups and elected officials that fought the project for two years.
The proposed project would have been located in coastal waters southeast of the Rockaways, Long Beach and Jones Beach, in the same area as a proposed offshore wind project. Developing offshore wind here could provide enough clean energy to power more than 200,000 homes, and improve the reliability of our overstressed electric grid. A Stony Brook University study found that a 250 MW offshore wind project off of Long Island could also create nearly 3,000 local jobs.
Under the federal law governing the licensing of this project, the governer has the authority to veto marine LNG facilities.
A statement follows from Kit Kennedy, Director of the Energy & Transportation Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council:
“This triumph of clean energy over dirty fossil fuels is a victory for our climate and our local economy. To meet the Governor’s bold goal of getting 50 percent of New York’s electricity from renewable energy, New York will need to invest in offshore wind energy at scale. Today, Governor Cuomo has cleared the way for the state to move forward with developing the pollution-free energy that will power us into the future.”
More in-depth reaction to the Governor’s announcement to follow here:http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kkennedy.