O'Malley Asks Feds to Deny Sparrows Point LNG project

Gov. Martin O'Malley urged the federal government Wednesday to deny a proposal from AES Corp. to build a liquefied natural gas facility on Sparrows Point. The Arlington, Va., company, filed an application last month with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build the LNG plant near the Turner Station neighborhood of Baltimore County. Baltimore County has proposed legislation to stop the construction. But the federal energy commission can overturn local laws if it feels the project is deemed to be in the best interest of the country. The plant has the potential to provide power for large portions of New England and the mid-Atlantic.

O'Malley said in a statement Wednesday that he opposes the project.

An advisory report filed Wednesday with FERC outlines safety and environmental concerns community members want to see addressed before the energy commission approves or denies AES's application to build a $400 million power plant at Sparrows Point. The report was completed by the Department of Natural Resources Power Plant Research Program in cooperation with state agencies and Baltimore County. The report says that Baltimore County and the state do not have adequate resources to respond to a major accident at the power plant, according to a news release from the state. The report also questions environmental concerns relating to the construction of an 87-mile pipeline to carry liquefied natural gas from Sparrows Point to southern Pennsylvania, the release said. Kent Morton, AES project manager for Sparrows Point, said he has not seen the report and declined to comment on Source: Bizjournals