New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has stopped construction of a proposed natural gas transfer station off of Long Island, citing fears of terrorism, damage from storms, and his desire to transition to more renewable forms of energy.
The Port Ambrose transfer station was to be built off of Jones Beach, and would have allowed tanker ships to load up with liquefied natural gas then distribute the gas into pipelines on Long Island.
Cuomo said there are too many concerns about the project, including potential damage from future storms like Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and potential terrorism.
“We know that New York is on the top of the list of terrorist targets,” said Cuomo. “So that is a very real concern.”
The proposed site is for the gas transfer station is at the same location where an off-shore wind farm has also been proposed. Cuomo said there was no way to allow the two projects to coexist. Cuomo also said the plant would have disrupted the fishing industry.
Cuomo, who banned fracking in New York last year, was lauded by environmental groups. The head of the company that wanted to build the transfer station says it has not yet heard from the governor, but will “thoroughly review” his letter.
