Court Refuses to Halt LNG Plant Construction

News
A federal court of appeals has refused to stop construction of an LNG export facility in southern Maryland while it considers additional legal challenges to the project’s approval. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in June denied an emergency motion for a stay on construction at the Dominion Cove Point LNG project, ruling that opponents had not met strict legal requirements for the action, nor had they presented “strongly compelling” reasons for halting construction.

Environmental and citizens groups had petitioned the court to stop construction at the facility while their lawsuit contesting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) approval of the project proceeds. They asserted that local residents were suffering from noise, dust, and heavy traffic related to the work. Opponents also asserted that residents are trying to sell their homes because of the disruptions, and fear for their safety once the export facility is completed.

The motion to halt construction was filed by Earthjustice on behalf of Patuxent Riverkeeper, the Maryland Sierra Club, and Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Environmental groups contend that FERC violated federal law by failing to consider how construction would pollute air and water and contribute to global warming. Project sponsor Dominion (Richmond, Va.), meanwhile, says it is confident the court will deny attempts to kill the export facility and ultimately will uphold federal approval.

Dominion adds that FERC has concluded the project poses no significant risks to nearby residents’ safety and carries no major environmental impacts. Construction continues on schedule. The company expects to complete work on the $3.8-billion project by 2017 and begin liquefying natural gas piped to the site. Super-cooled natural gas, or LNG, cargos would then be loaded on tankers on the Chesapeake Bay and exported to Asia.

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