Team Maryland Urges Consideration of Community Concerns of Gas Pipeline Expansion

Letter to FERC calls for community input in considering less hazardous alternatives and in environment assessment process

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski today joined U.S. Congressmen Elijah E. Cummings (MD-7), Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-2), and John Sarbanes (MD-3) in sending a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging the agency to engage the public as it considers a 21.4-mile extension of the Columbia Gas Transmission, Inc. pipeline that runs from Owings Mills through Oregon Ridge to Fallston.

Many members of the Baltimore County communities that would be affected have voiced concerns about the negative impact that the project may have on the environment and public health.  In the letter to FERC, Team Maryland members urged the agency to “heed the local community concerns in designing its Environmental Assessment.” It also urged FERC to “involve all relevant stakeholders” throughout the Environmental Assessment process, including the evaluation of less hazardous alternatives.

The pipeline extension proposed by Columbia Transmission would run beside an existing pipeline, but would require the company to expand its current right of way from a width of 50 feet to 75 feet. It is estimated that approximately 300 property owners would be affected by the expansion.

Click here for a PDF of the letter.