A new report by the U.S. Coast Guard concludes that a proposed liquefied natural gas port off the New Jersey coast would have minimal impact to the air, water, marine life and sediment on the ocean floor around the site.

The proposal by Liberty Natural Gas would include a port at sea to extract liquefied natural gas from specially designed ships that convert it back into a gas form so it could be pumped to shore on Long Island. At Port Ambrose, there would be two buoys to connect with ships, and could receive about 45 vessels a year from the Caribbean.

Liquefied natural gas is methane gas cooled to minus-264 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce its volume so 600 times more can be transported as a liquid at lower cost.

Environmental groups disagree with the conclusions in the 1,800-page environmental impact assessment. The groups argue the project would pose serious environmental risks and threaten New Jersey's Shore-based economy. They also say the port could be a new terrorist target just miles from the most densely populated part of the country.

"This project is not in the public interest because it threatens our coastal economy and New Jersey's commercial fishing industry and poses a national security threat," said Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, an environmental group that targets ocean pollution.

Read the full story at NorthJersey.com>>

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