Tidal wetlands license for Cove Point LNG approved

The Maryland Board of Public Works approved unanimously a tidal wetlands license for the Dominion Cove Point LNG export project.

A crowd of about 250 Calvert County leaders and other citizens, labor representatives and supporters rallied outside the State House before the hearing. The BPW voted 3-0 to approve the license after two hour, 40 minute public hearing.

“Today’s decision further acknowledges that the Dominion Cove Point export project will have a minimal impact on the environment while bringing significant benefits to local, state and national economies,” said Michael Frederick, vice president-LNG Operations.

The license authorizes construction of a temporary pier in the Patuxent River adjacent to the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge in Calvert County. The temporary pier will be used over an 18-month period for unloading barges delivering equipment for the expansion project. It will be removed and the area will be restored to its present condition when project-related barge traffic ends.

“The export project review has taken more than two years and involved tens of thousands of pages of information and multiple public meetings,” Frederick said. “State and federal agencies charged with looking into safety issues decided that the export facility could be built and operated safely. Today marks a major milestone on our path to bringing the export project to reality.”

Recent favorable project developments include the approval of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity by the Maryland Public Service Commission, a favorable draft environmental assessment from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Maryland Supreme Court decision to not hear the appeal of the Sierra Club in its effort to stop LNG exports from the Dominion Cove Point terminal. The FERC is expected to reach a final decision on the project within a few months.

Press Release, July 24, 2014