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Gov. Cuomo nixes natural gas terminal plan

A controversial plan to put a liquefied natural gas terminal off Long Island's South Shore has been vetoed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The Port Ambrose project would have been located 19 miles off Jones

News 12 Staff

Nov 13, 2015, 4:05 AM

Updated 3,374 days ago

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A controversial plan to put a liquefied natural gas terminal off Long Island's South Shore has been vetoed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The Port Ambrose project would have been located 19 miles off Jones Beach.
Gov. Cuomo said he was concerned about threats from terrorism, severe storms and potential environmental damage. The reward was just not worth the risk, he said.
"We have terrorist groups that are springing up more and more, almost on a daily basis, who look for targets of opportunity. There's a potential to do a significant amount of damage," said the governor, who was in Long Beach to make the announcement.
Gov. Cuomo said the Port Ambrose project didn't take into account an offshore wind farm proposal already on the books. Even though he supports the idea of renewable energy like wind power, when pressed he didn't commit to any project.
Liberty Natural Gas' CEO Roger Whealan said in a statement to News 12 that he was disappointed in the governor's decision.
"We had hoped that the safety and environmental concerns raised by the governor this afternoon had been thoroughly addressed," he said.
The decision was not entirely unexpected. In the past, Gov. Cuomo came out against the controversial fracking of natural gas upstate and has linked extreme weather to climate change.