President signs off on Big Apple natural gas pipeline

President Barack Obama gave his seal of approval Tuesday to a controversial energy pipeline that Mayor Michael Bloomberg says would help New York get back on its feet following the Superstorm.

Under the New York City Natural Gas Enhancement Act, the city go ahead with plans to build the pipe that runs through Brooklyn and Queens and connects with a line that runs along off the Rockaways coast.

Environmentalists say the pipe creates a hazard for the Jamaica Bay wildlife.

Bloomberg, however, said the city needed new forms of energy immediately.

"Given the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, this law could not come at a more critical time for New York City," he said in a statement.