Ruppersberger Puts Security Officials on Notice About Proposed LNG Facility in Dundalk

(Washington, D.C.)- Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) is putting security officials on notice about the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility proposed for the former Sparrows Point Shipyard in Dundalk.  The Congressman is asking the Coast Guard to answer several critical questions about the safety and security of the proposed facility at a Congressional Hearing in Baltimore on Monday, April 23, 2007. 

In a letter to Captain Brian D. Kelley of the United States Coast Guard Sector Baltimore, the Congressman asked Captain Kelley to “be prepared to address potential vulnerabilities that an LNG plan in Eastern Baltimore County would pose to nearby neighborhoods and the economic vitality of the Port of Baltimore.”  Congressman Ruppersberger is concerned the proposed facility will overburden the Coast Guard and stretch precious security resources too thin.  Specifically, the Congressman asked:

• How does the Coast Guard intend to protect and secure the area near the facility including the nearby neighborhoods, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and the Port of Baltimore? 
• How will these new security needs affect recreational and commercial boat traffic in the area?   
• Does the Coast Guard possess the intelligence sharing resources to move quickly on potential terrorist information if a plot on the LNG facility is uncovered? 
• How will these additional safety concerns surrounding the facility affect the Coast Guard’s main mission of ensuring the safe movement of over 29 million tons of commercial cargo and 300,000 recreational boats? 
Congressman Ruppersberger also asked the Coast Guard to prepare a comprehensive security assessment within 60 days of the hearing to address safety and security hazards.  The letter to the Coast Guard is attached. 

Congressman Ruppersberger feels this type of facility is absolutely inappropriate for the area.  If constructed, the facility would be less than two miles from the residential neighborhoods of Dundalk, Turner’s Station, and Edgemere.  LNG is a hazardous fuel that can explode when ignited.  Congressman Ruppersberger believes area residents could be harmed if there is an accident or a terrorist attack at the facility or on the tankers that travel up the Chesapeake Bay.  The Coast Guard is already patrolling the LNG facility at Cove Point and the Calvert Cliff’s Nuclear Power Plant in Calvert County.  Area resident’s quality of life could be negatively impacted by restrictions on recreational boat traffic.  In addition, Congressman Ruppersberger believes an LNG facility would harm a multi-million dollar revitalization effort on the Eastside of Baltimore County. 

The proposed site of the LNG facility is located in the Maryland 2nd District.  Congressman Ruppersberger has contacted every agency involved in the approval process and urged them to deny the application including the Army Corp of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Coast Guard, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  The AES Corporation filed their official application to construct the project on January 7, 2007.

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