We are still working on opposing the Liquefied Natural
Gas (LNG) proposals in the Atlantic Ocean in/or near the Cholera Bank
and Mud Hole. Remember these proposals are for more dependency on
foreign fossil fuel. Also, there will be a 500-meter radius exclusion
zone around these facilities. The US has an abundance of Natural Gas
that have decades of resources to supply at current usage levels.
BY TOM INCANTALUPO
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January 30, 2009
A standing-room-only crowd of several hundred surfers, environmentalists, local politicians and residents gathered last night in Long Beach for a federal hearing on a liquid natural gas processing plant proposed for a 60.5-acre man-made island that would be built 13.5 miles south of the city's boardwalk.
By Christopher LaPorta, contact
for NY Artificial Reef Program
At this time we have a permit
application pending with our DEC Division of Environmental Permits (DEP)
with a request to use the surplus subway cars as new reef building
material. We are in process of scheduling a meeting with DEP for sometime
next week. A provisional reef permit has been issued by the ACOE that
will become effective when the DEC reef permit is approved. I am
preparing a similar justification for the ACOE to allow the use of subway
cars on the two reef sites in the EEZ. That is the most recent
information I have. The expectation is to have the permits sometime later
this year, but that will depend on the outcome of the meeting with DEP
next week.
New Jersey recently had their reef bill fail to pass the NJ Assembly, but passed the NJ Senate. This was a stumbling block that has to be addressed again in 2008. NY is investigating the issue of commercial pots on recreational reefs. NY is currently trying to get permits for additional reefs from the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE). Also they will investigate the proposal to use Subway Cars as reefs, which is not currently a legitimate product for reef building.
There are 3 proposals to build Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants off
of NYS, which we are against. There are many reasons to be opposed to
LNG facilities, such safety, resources needed by the Coast Guard to
protect the facility, and the ships. As fishermen we have another
issue; and that is these projects create a Marine Protected Area (MPA)
of at least 5 square miles. That is 5 square miles of prime fishing
that we would lose and get nothing for it.
Currently, there is no guarantee that these facilities will reduce the
prices of Natural Gas in the states it supplies. LNG is shipped from
foreign shores, off Asia, Africa and South America. Ships coming to the
US can be deflected to the biggest bidder on the product.
s - Chairman Capt. John Malizia