Travis Cutler, external affairs manager for Dominion, right, presents Dominion’s plans for a compressor station in Bryans Road to the Charles County Bard of Appeals Tuesday night.
La Plata, MD – Dominion Gas came before the Charles County Board of Appeals Tuesday, July 11 seeking a special exception for a gas transmission facility in Bryans Road. Two natural gas pipelines have been located at the site since the late 1970s.
According to Aimee Dailey, a planner with the Charles County Department of Planning and Growth Management, the 50-acre site is very close to the Prince George’s County line.
“There is a small area of development that Dominion has been using for a period of time,” Dailey said.
She added that the county would like to see improvements to Berry Hill Road occur with this development. Dailey said the compression station would be 1,700 feet from the closest inhabited structure and that balloon tests were conducted to determine if the facility’s 50-foot stacks would impact the view of tourists at Mount Vernon across the Potomac River.
“The balloon tests determined that impact would not exist,” Dailey explained, noting that a noise study was conducted, finding that the applicant had met all noise standards for federal, state and local laws.
There was also a traffic study to determine current road conditions and she said a $30,000 road damage bond will added to the bond amount at the time the project moves forward, should it be approved.
After Dailey’s presentation, the real fun began in the form of lawyer wrangling.
Carroll Holzer, a lawyer representing several citizens near the proposed Charles Station, requested to cross-examine Dailey.
Board of Appeals Chairman Brandon Moon found the request unorthodox. “It is unusual for us to have that kind of request,” Moon noted.
Mike Nagi, a lawyer for Dominion Cove Point LNG felt such action was extreme.
“It is highly unusual for staff to be cross examined,” Nagi noted. “I don’t believe staff has actually given testimony. It is evidence in the record, primarily a recitation of applicants. I don’t see any need for cross-examination.”
“She just said that criteria needed to be established for this to go forward,” Holzer countered. “I am entitled to ask her questions as to how the staff came to that conclusion.”
“There is no basis in the rules of this body for cross examination,” Board of Appeals Attorney Todd Meechum pointed out.
“Staff recommended approval with four conditions,” Nagi said. “We are here to demonstrate compliance with the approval criteria. The application will need to be processed by several county agencies before it gets approved,” he added.
Moon denied Holzer’s request.
Travis Cutler, external affairs manager for Dominion, said the facility at 6855 Berrys Hill Road was contemplated as far back as 1979. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) must approve their work, he added.
“This will be a series of infrastructure upgrades along existing Dominion sites in Virginia and Maryland,” Cutler said. “Compressor stations are situated at various points along the pipeline.”
“FERC has not ruled on the application,” he told the board.
“You can’t begin until you get that FERC approval,” Moon noted.
“We don’t have an exact date yet,” Cutler admitted.
Board Member Sean Johnson noted that according to staff and Dominion’s presentation the facility was not unsafe and not loud. “You just handed us a piece of paper that said no problem,” Johnson said. “I would like to hear more of a layman’s approach, of why would it be silly to reject this project.”
“I know a lot of people are here to speak in support of this project,” Cutler responded. “It means clean energy for citizens who cook their meals and heat their homes and millions who need electricity every day. To meet those critical needs, it makes sense to approve this project.”
As Dominon’s presentation stretched into the evening, it became apparent that the public comment portion of the hearing would have to be rescheduled for a later date. Moon proposed Sept. 12, despite requests from Nagi and Cutler for a sooner date. The chairman said that August is a difficult month for meetings because so many different agencies are competing for the meeting space.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com