Res 0549-2015

By Council Members Richards, Chin, Johnson, Mendez, Rosenthal, Lancman, Constantinides, Dromm, Koslowitz, Miller, Levine, Levin, Kallos, Lander, Cumbo, Treyger, Barron, Gentile, Van Bramer, Reynoso, Menchaca, Rodriguez, Espinal, Deutsch, Rose, Williams, Torres, Ferreras, Arroyo, Vallone, Garodnick and Ulrich Whereas, Liberty Natural Gas, LLC has proposed the construction of a deepwater port facility, called the Port Ambrose liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, which would be used to import liquefied natural gas; and Whereas, The Port Ambrose LNG terminal would consist of a submerged buoy system located in federal waters, within the New York Bight, approximately 19 miles off the coast of New York City; and Whereas, Liquefied natural gas would arrive at the Port Ambrose LNG terminal on vessels, which would connect to the submerged buoy system and transfer natural gas into a twenty-two mile long pipeline connecting to the existing Transco Lower New York Bay Lateral pipeline, serving New York City and Long Island; and Whereas, The United States Maritime Administration is the lead regulatory agency determining whether to issue a Deepwater Port License to Liberty Natural Gas, LLC, which would permit construction of the Port Ambrose LNG terminal; and Whereas, Governor Andrew Cuomo has the authority to veto the Port Ambrose LNG terminal proposal as governor of an "adjacent state," pursuant to the Deepwater Port Act of 1974; and Whereas, Several New York State Assembly Members, State Senators, local residents, community groups and environmental advocacy organizations oppose the Port Ambrose LNG terminal proposal and have called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to veto it; and Whereas, There is evidence that the environmental quality and ecological habitat of the New York Bight have improved over the last several years, including a decrease in the number of floatables, improvements in dissolved oxygen concentrations, and the return of wildlife such as the humpback whale; and Whereas, The construction and operation of the Port Ambrose LNG terminal could threaten and have adverse impacts on the environmental quality and ecological habitat of the New York Bight by requiring the dredging of miles of sea floor and by discharging chemically treated seawater into surrounding waters; and Whereas, The Port Ambrose LNG terminal could increase New York City's reliance on natural gas, which can emit methane when it is extracted, transported, stored and consumed; and Whereas, According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, over a twenty year timeframe, methane has a global warming potential that is as much as 86 times greater than that of carbon dioxide; and Whereas, LNG is a highly flammable fossil fuel, and if an extreme event such as a hurricane or terrorist attack were to damage the Port Ambrose LNG terminal, potential contamination and fire could impact nearby shipping lanes and coastal communities; and Whereas, The Port Ambrose LNG terminal could interfere with the development of a more environmentally beneficial wind farm, which has been proposed in the same area; and Whereas, The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, an agency of the United States Department of Interior, in its scoping comments on the Port Ambrose LNG terminal application, stated that it is concerned that the proposal to construct a LNG port in the same area proposed for a large wind facility could result in serious conflicts-or at the minimum, complicating factors-that may impact the overall viability of one or both projects; and Whereas, According to the 2014 Draft New York State Energy Plan, domestic production of natural gas is at its highest level in four decades and the need for substantial increased volumes of imported LNG has diminished for the near term; and Whereas, In 2011, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed an application by Liberty Natural Gas, LLC to construct a LNG deepwater port 16 miles off the coast of New Jersey, stating that offshore LNG poses unacceptable risks to New Jersey's residents, natural resources, economy and security; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on Governor Andrew Cuomo to veto the application by Liberty Natural Gas, LLC to construct the Port Ambrose LNG terminal off the coast of New York. BTM LS 3130/2014