Using a 31-year-old law to fight a proposed liquefied natural gas plant at the Sparrows Point shipyard might not be enough to thwart the project, officials said Wednesday.
State lawmakers are dusting off the 1975 Coastal Facilities Act, which serves as an umbrella process for the wetlands, air and water quality permits Virginia-based AES Corp. will need to move forward with a $400 million gas terminal and 85-mile pipeline, said Elder Ghigiarelli, deputy director of the state?s Wetlands and Waterways program.
That law also requires the local government to certify the proposal meets all land-use regulations. But even with county and state regulators united against the proposal ? citing environmental concerns and the site?s proximity to homes ? the federal government would likely approve an appeal, Ghigiarelli said.
The proposal is already in court. AES is combating a new county law banning LNG terminals within five miles of a neighborhood, arguing the federal government has sole authority to determine LNG sites.
Lawmakers could focus on AES?s plan to dredge 4 million cubic yards, which will require permits from the Army Corps of Engineers.
Corps representative Joseph DaVia said that requires state approval.
Contaminated material dredged from the bottom of Baltimore?s harbor must be contained at one of two facilities ? Cox Creek and Hart Miller Island, which will close in 2009. Experts are exploring ways to clean and reuse dredged material to restore shorelines and create products like concrete filler.
AES officials said they are committed to removing contaminants as they dredge and plan to build a $10 million recycling center.
