Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, foreground, left, met with environmentalists last year.
Annapolis, MD – As the completion of a massive construction project in Calvert County nears, opponents of a plan to export natural gas from a local plant to two Asian countries continue their five-year effort to stop it. The group known as We Are Cove Point has now focused its strategy on getting state authorities to order the owners of the Cove Point Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Plant in Lusby—Dominion Energy Cove Point—to delay the startup of their $3.8 billion liquefaction facility until a state agency can conduct a quantitative risk assessment (QRA).
Since early July, We Are Cove Point has rallied in Annapolis—in Lawyer Square in front of the Statehouse and in front of the Governor’s Mansion—hoping to attract the attention of Governor Larry Hogan. The demonstrations have been held on Mondays. “We submitted a formal request on July 7 for the governor to meet with residents from Cove Point and experts but he hasn’t responded yet,” a We Are Cove Point press release stated. “We are going to keep rallying outside the Governor’s Mansion until he either calls the Department of Natural Resources and orders the safety study or he meets with the families and experts from Cove Point and provides a satisfactory explanation of why not.”
Since submitting the request, the group has held three “rallies,” a sit-in, a “phone-in” (encouraging supporters to call the governor’s office), and, Monday, July 31, a “sing-in” complete with guitars, a banjo, a mandolin and the singing of familiar melodies with alternate lyrics. If you think that life has been no picnic for Cove Point LNG Plant opponents—well, that would be their next gimmick. On Monday, Aug. 7 the group will hold a “Picnic for Safety Study” at State Circle starting at noon. We are Cove Point will be providing Maryland-grown watermelon and lemonade to participants. Group leaders have invited Hogan to join them.
The organization’s leaders stated on their social media page that a QRA was last done at Cove Point LNG Plant in 2006 and the addition of a liquefaction unit and the surrounding area’s population justifies the study. Hogan, through a staff member, told We Are Cove Point leader Donny Williams back in late June that he [Hogan] supports the Dominion Energy Cove Point liquefaction project and had no plans to order the QRA.
“If anything goes wrong [at the plant] it’s going to be catastrophic,” said Cove Point resident Leslie Garcia back in June after the organization met with Hogan’s aide.
According to Dominion Energy, the Cove Point liquefaction project is 92 percent completed, on time and within budget. All of the units major components are set in place and the testing needed as part of the facility’s commission process are underway. “It’s a very well protected facility,” Dominion Energy Cove Point Vice President of Construction Bob McKinley told members of the local media back in April. Dominion Energy Cove Point Vice President of LNG Operations Mike Frederick added that 30 plant employees were being trained by Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute to be part of Cove Point LNG’s new fire brigade.
During the commissioning process inspectors from several agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Maryland Department of Environment and U.S. Coast Guard, will be making on-site assessments.
Dominion Energy spokesman Karl Neddenien told TheBayNet.com that an “extensive safety study” has already been done. “The safety study was part of the FERC process that began when we filed our application on April 1, 2013,” Neddenien stated. “It was included in the environmental assessment conducted by the FERC. The FERC released its final environmental assessment on May 15, 2014. The FERC issued its final approval of our export project on September 29, 2014.”
Neddenien added that FERC shared the findings with PHMSA, which subsequently confirmed the study’s findings.
The project has received support from local, state and federal political leaders, primarily due to its projected, multi-million dollar tax revenue.
See video of We Are Cove Point’s Sing-In
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com