This vote was on an amendment to a bill funding energy and water programs, introduced by Tim Bishop, D-N.Y. Bishop’s amendment would prohibit the establishment of a floating liquid natural gas facility planned for the middle of New York’s Long Island Sound, which has about 28 million people living within 50 miles of the water. It would effectively short-circuit the facility’s progress by directing the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (FERC) to stop considering its application.

Bishop, whose district encompasses most of the Long Island area, said he does not want the project to go forward because of “serious and debilitating environmental impacts” associated with the facility, which would be used to process liquefied natural gas. Bishop also cited safety and security concerns. “Even the Coast Guard, which would be charged with securing this facility, has indicated that a much more full public discussion needs to take place in order to determine who is going to provide that security and who will fund it,” Bishop said.

Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who supported the amendment, said the facility would be roughly the size of the Queen Mary 2 (an enormous oceanliner), and sit just 10 miles off the coast of Connecticut, and 9 miles off the coast of Long Island. The facility would also require the construction of a 25-mile pipeline in the middle of what DeLauro called prime territory for fishing and lobstering, placing that area off-limits to those who make their living by fishing.

On the other side are business and other interests who argue that the Long Island area has an enormous appetite for energy that could be partially satisfied by natural gas, a relatively clean-burning and efficient fuel. Peter Visclosky, D-Ind.,said FERC should be allowed to continue examining the proposed facility’s application, instead of stopping it cold through legislation. “FERC’s consideration of applications to site energy facilities does not imply that the applications will be granted, or if granted, will not require appropriate environmental protection measures. Moreover, all FERC authorizations are subject to judicial review,” Visclosky said.

And Gene Green, D-Texas (a state heavily invested in the petrochemical industry) opposed the amendment, saying building more liquefied natural gas facilities can help ease America’s dependence on foreign sources of energy. “Here in America we only have two options to increase our supply of natural gas to meet our energy needs — we can build more LNG import plants and we can produce more gas offshore. There is no alternative to natural gas in many cases,” Green said.

The House voted 285-146 to defeat the amendment. Republicans were largely united in their vote against the amendment, but Democrats split, with 94 voting against the Progressive position.  Thus, the bill went forward without language that would have delayed a proposed liquid natural gas facility in Long Island Sound.