Protesters decry LNG island

Twenty-five Long Islanders from Long Beach, Montauk and communities in between gathered on the Great Lawn at SUNY Farmingdale Sept. 9 to rally against a proposal to build a liquid natural gas terminal about 13 miles off the shore of Long Beach.

Claudia Borecky of North Merrick, chairwoman of Nassau County Legislator Dave Denenberg's Task Force Against LNG Island, led the rally, which took place just before the New York State Public Service Commission held a public hearing on Gov. David Paterson's Draft Energy Plan. The governor's proposal aims to reduce electricity use by 15 percent below the projection for 2015, and specifically cites use of natural gas as a method to improve efficiency.

The $1 billion LNG initiative proposed by the Atlantic Sea Island Group Inc., called Safe Harbor Energy, includes the construction of a 116-acre artificial island in a popular fishery called the Cholera Bank. According to Atlantic Sea Island spokesman Gary Lewi, the company would mine gas from locations in the Caribbean, Russia and the Middle East and ship it in liquid form to Safe Harbor Energy, where it would be stored until it was converted back to gas and transported via underwater pipes to locations on Long Island and around the metropolitan area.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation and the governor must sign off on the LNG project before it becomes a reality.

Long Beach officials have denounced the project, citing safety, economic and environmental concerns. Zoning board member Ray Ellmer said, "Our livelihood is geared around our oceans, our bays and our waterways. We do have a gas pipeline that does go through Long Beach, but Long Beach, from a financial point of view, will not benefit from this particular project. But more importantly, these tanks will be stored off a residential barrier island subject to hurricanes and nor'easters, and if they do break up, they will wreak environmental damage to the Long Beach barrier island."