Hearings on Offshore Natural Gas Plan Near NY, NJ

Several hundred people are attending a public hearing on a plan to build a liquefied natural gas terminal off New York and New Jersey.

Liberty Natural Gas has applied to federal authorities for permission to build a port in the ocean 17 miles off Jones Beach, N.Y., and 24 miles off Long Branch, N.J.

The first of two public hearings is being held at a hotel in Long Beach, N.Y.

A coalition of environmentalists has said it is opposed to the proposal, while union officials and others are backing the project.

This is the second attempt at placing an LNG terminal off the Port of New York. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a somewhat different proposal in 2011.

A second hearing will be held Wednesday in Edison, N.J.

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