Proposed Port Ambrose Suspended

Liberty Natural Gas’ proposal for a $600 million LNG deepwater port off the coast of New York has stirred up controversy, which has led the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to issue a ‘stop clock’ via letter on March 17 to compile more data necessary to develop the Final EIS and determine financial responsibility. 

The letter stated that during the EIS public comment period, 827 dock postings were received with over 10,000 public comments. The comments, which include input from Federal, State, and Local agencies, are expected to continue to grow. Due to the substantial public interest, USCG and MARAD feel that the allotted 21 days to review the comments is not a sufficient amount of time to address and incorporate the input into the Final EIS. Additionally, the public will be given ample time to review the Final EIS before final hearings. 

The planned site for Port Ambrose is roughly 19 miles off the coast of New York and the port, if constructed, will be used to transport LNG to the markets in the downstate, New York, and Long Island. It will consist of a submerged buoy system that will connect to Shuttle and Regasification Vessels (SRVs). The LNG will be transferred from the SRVs to the Transco Lower New York Bay Lateral pipeline via a 26-mile subsea pipeline. The port will deliver an anticipated 400 million feet of LNG per day—enough to supply energy to 1.5 million homes. 

The initial Port Ambrose Notice of Application was published on June 1, 2013, but was suspended on October 21, 2013 in order to address data gaps and additional analysis of the project. The Federal Register of Availability of the Final EIS was published on December 16, 2014, and the ‘clock’ was restarted. 

The letter also stated that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was now requiring a 15-foot pipeline burial depth through the Ambrose Anchorage Area, which is seven feet deeper than the original Draft EIS proposal. 

According to Cindy Zipf, Clean Ocean Act’s Executive Director, more than 60,000 people have expressed opposition against Port Ambrose, and petitions to ask both New York and New Jersey governors to veto the proposals are in the works. 

The letter from the USCG and MARAD stated that their goal “is to develop a Final EIS that satisfies both public and governmental agency requirements.”