A federal agency this morning approved plans for a liquefied natural gas plant at Sparrows Point, a project that has been opposed by officials at virtually every level who vowed to tie up construction of the $400 million facility in the permitting process.
The five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved with no discussion the proposal just off the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and an 88-mile pipeline that will transport the gas through Harford County into southern Pennsylvania.
The board imposed about 170 conditions to address safety and environmental concerns raised by project opponents, commission chairman Joseph Kelliher said in a statement released to the media before the meeting in Washington adjourned.
“When FERC reviews a proposed LNG import project, our primary concern is assuring public safety,” Kelliher said in the statement. “I realize this is not a popular decision, but it is the correct decision, rooted in voluminous record and based on sound science.”
The proposal to develop the LNG plant comes from AES Corp., a Virginia-based global energy firm.
