House passes bills to hinder approval of LNG tank

Friday, March 31, 2006

by Judson Berger

Staff Writer

Two bills that would hinder the approval of a liquefied natural gas facility passed in the House of Delegates this week, strengthening Chillum residents’ effort to block such a facility in their Prince George’s County neighborhood.

Efforts to delay the bills in the House were rejected Saturday.

Del. John F. Wood Jr. (D-Dist. 29A) of Mechanicsville requested the delay because he and other Southern Maryland lawmakers are worried their constituents would see higher electricity costs if the plant is not built. The House defeated those efforts and overwhelmingly passed the bill to the Senate.

Residents and groups such as the Sierra Club are concerned the storage of liquefied natural gas is simply too dangerous near homes.

‘‘We are not opposed to LNG as an energy source,” said the Sierra Club’s Megan Lewis. ‘‘We are against it because of its location in the middle of a residential area.”

Liquefied natural gas is 600 times more dense than regular natural gas, making it economical to store and transport. But the large quantities of gas stored in such facilities can be flammable under certain conditions once it returns to its gaseous state.

Del. Anne Healey said she is personally opposed to the Chillum proposal, but that the bills serve only to subject such plans to higher scrutiny.

‘‘It should get enough scrutiny for it to be a consensus before it’s adopted,” said Healey (D-Dist. 22) of Hyattsville.

Sen. Paul G. Pinsky, who represents the district that includes the proposed LNG facility in Chillum, said he is hopeful that the local bill will be approved by the Senate. One of the Senate’s leading environmentalists, Pinsky said LNG power is one of the cleaner methods available.

He is concerned, however, about the risks of the residents in Chillum who fear that the facility could be dangerous. He is hopeful that the Senate will go along with the House and pass the local bill.

‘‘I think the prospects are good,” Pinsky (D-Dist. 22) of University Park said.

The tank at the root of the bills is one proposed by Washington Gas near the West Hyattsville Metro stop. Residents say the potentially volatile and dangerous facility would be unreasonably close to their homes.

‘‘It’s an inappropriate site,” said Imani Kazana, president of the Avondale Citizens Association. ‘‘It’s in a densely populated area — not just a residential area.”

Kazana lives within a quarter mile of the facility. She said 3,000 residents live within a half mile of the site.

The House vote comes as hearings continue before the county’s zoning hearing examiner. Dozens of residents and officials marched in protest of the tank earlier this month, and Kazana said she is prepared to fight Washington Gas ‘‘to the ends of the Earth.”

The House bill that applies to the District Council kicks in for facilities holding more than 5,000 gallons; Washington Gas wants a 12-million-gallon tank.

Washington Gas argues that not only would its facility be constructed under strict federal regulations, with round-the-clock oversight and double-walled protection, but the cost of not building such a facility would be passed on to the consumer.

Spokesman Tim Sargeant said if the company does not build the LNG tank, it would be faced with $430 million more in costs, which would be reflected in customer rate increases.

Approving the LNG site would help lawmakers and residents avoid the type of headache generated by impending electric rate increases, he said.

‘‘What lawmakers have is an option,” Sargeant said. ‘‘Their support of LNG storage will really help our natural gas customers.”

Staff Writer Thomas Dennison contributed to this report.