Community Corner
'Whole Project is About Greed,' Says Clean Ocean Action
Environmentalists protest Liberty Natural Gas terminal proposal.
By Elaine Van Develde
It's a case of greed that could cripple the environment and economic independence in the fossil fuel industry.
That's what Clean Ocean Action (COA) principals say about the proposal by Liberty Natural Gas to bring a liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal to the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 20 miles off the shores of Sea Bright and surrounding areas.
The proposed Port Ambrose, slated for a spot in the sea bordering the New York Harbor, is something that, in a slightly altered form with a different name, was proposed a few years ago and vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie for it's inherent threats to the Jersey Shore's ecology and economy, COA Executive Director Cindy Zipf said.
And the attempt to eek it back in again in an albeit transparent disguise, she says, irks her and other environmentalists even more.
"What I'm really outraged by is the fact that our governor has vetoed this project in 2011 already," Zipf said. "They tried again in 2012 and he reaffirmed his veto and his opposition to the project. It's fortunate for us that the Deep Water Port Act, under which this proposal is being considered, has within it the power of a governor that's nearby to have an up or down veto for the project … it gives the right of a state that is adjacent to the project to veto it. Gov. Christie knows the importance of the Jersey Shore, the importance of its economy, and the importance of national security and has said no to these projects."
Liberty has, however, touted the project's greater good aspects on its website, saying that such an LNG port would have the ability to get more gas to more people in the U.S.A. at a much cheaper rate. LNG is natural gas that is significantly cooled in order to make it importable and exportable in a condensed liquid form in higher volume and at a cheaper rate.
The company also claims that the port would be regulated by the federal government via the Coast Guard and Maritime Administration. Zipf, however, says that, her organization's familiarity with the company and its history shed light on a completely different economic and ecological story.
Zipf says that, according to COA research, Liberty is a foreign company based in Cayman Islands with the "mysterious backing of who knows who. They're very anxious and very actively pursuing this permit, because if they are able to get an LNG tanker facility permitted off the coast and tap into our natural gas pipeline system, they would be the closest port facility to the Marcellus Shale, just across the Delaware River. And that vast area of natural gas is particularly vulnerable to this LNG facility, because once here, it can be switched very easily to an export facility."
So, public opinion on the matter is crucial, she said, because, though the federal government deemed the prospective facility would not be quite close enough to the Jersey Shore, there were only two formal public hearings on the issue on Long Island and in Edison.
Clean Ocean Action sponsored its own rally and "citizens hearing" Thursday afternoon and evening in Sea Bright and is forwarding all input to the federal government.
Get a glimpse into Thursday's event and hear what Zipf and Clean Ocean Action Policy Attorney Sean Dixon had to say in the video above.
It's a case of greed that could cripple the environment and economic independence in the fossil fuel industry.
That's what Clean Ocean Action (COA) principals say about the proposal by Liberty Natural Gas to bring a liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal to the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 20 miles off the shores of Sea Bright and surrounding areas.
The proposed Port Ambrose, slated for a spot in the sea bordering the New York Harbor, is something that, in a slightly altered form with a different name, was proposed a few years ago and vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie for it's inherent threats to the Jersey Shore's ecology and economy, COA Executive Director Cindy Zipf said.
And the attempt to eek it back in again in an albeit transparent disguise, she says, irks her and other environmentalists even more.
"What I'm really outraged by is the fact that our governor has vetoed this project in 2011 already," Zipf said. "They tried again in 2012 and he reaffirmed his veto and his opposition to the project. It's fortunate for us that the Deep Water Port Act, under which this proposal is being considered, has within it the power of a governor that's nearby to have an up or down veto for the project … it gives the right of a state that is adjacent to the project to veto it. Gov. Christie knows the importance of the Jersey Shore, the importance of its economy, and the importance of national security and has said no to these projects."
Liberty has, however, touted the project's greater good aspects on its website, saying that such an LNG port would have the ability to get more gas to more people in the U.S.A. at a much cheaper rate. LNG is natural gas that is significantly cooled in order to make it importable and exportable in a condensed liquid form in higher volume and at a cheaper rate.
The company also claims that the port would be regulated by the federal government via the Coast Guard and Maritime Administration. Zipf, however, says that, her organization's familiarity with the company and its history shed light on a completely different economic and ecological story.
Zipf says that, according to COA research, Liberty is a foreign company based in Cayman Islands with the "mysterious backing of who knows who. They're very anxious and very actively pursuing this permit, because if they are able to get an LNG tanker facility permitted off the coast and tap into our natural gas pipeline system, they would be the closest port facility to the Marcellus Shale, just across the Delaware River. And that vast area of natural gas is particularly vulnerable to this LNG facility, because once here, it can be switched very easily to an export facility."
So, public opinion on the matter is crucial, she said, because, though the federal government deemed the prospective facility would not be quite close enough to the Jersey Shore, there were only two formal public hearings on the issue on Long Island and in Edison.
Clean Ocean Action sponsored its own rally and "citizens hearing" Thursday afternoon and evening in Sea Bright and is forwarding all input to the federal government.
Get a glimpse into Thursday's event and hear what Zipf and Clean Ocean Action Policy Attorney Sean Dixon had to say in the video above.
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