A letter from the Calvert County Environmental Commission to the Calvert County Commissioners regarding the recent environmental assessment of a plan to convert a 40-year old gas plant in Lusby into an import facility prompted one county commissioner to appear before the commission to explain the role the panel should be playing in county government. County Commissioner Susan Shaw [R] met with the 11-member commission Monday, June 30 in the Department of Community Planning and Building’s conference room.
Also attending the session were citizens opposed to the Dominion Cove Point Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Export Project and members of the local press.
The session, which was requested by Shaw, occurred over one month after an exchange of letters between the county commissioner-appointed Environmental Commission and the board of county commissioners.
In a letter dated May 22 and signed by Environmental Commission Chairman Nicholas A. Graziano, it was noted that all 11 members reviewed sections of the environmental assessment issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The panel had drafted a summary of “six areas” of the environmental assessment where the commission felt the document “could provide more transparency to the public.” The areas of concern were water, safety, noise, recreational impacts, toxics and air quality. Each statement of concern came with a recommendation. The Environmental Commission had hoped to submit the comments to FERC. The federal panel held a public meeting on the environmental assessment Saturday, May 31.
The day following receipt of the Environmental Commission’s letter the county commissioners responded, stating that the county attorney had advised them that the Board of County Commissioners was the only body authorized to speak on behalf of the county. The commissioners informed the environmental panel that a representative had been designated to address the hearing. “These are to be the only comments provided to FERC with regards to Calvert County’s position on this project, the letter stated. The county commissioners added the Environmental Commission could submit their comments to the Calvert County Planning Commission for consideration. The May 23 letter was signed by all five county commissioners and mirrored a missive sent by the board in March telling the Environmental Commission to not concern itself with the Cove Point project but concentrate on the Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) instead.
During the June 30 meeting, Shaw told the panel the commissioners do not want them “taking on a policy role.” She identified water quality, soil erosion, storm water runoff and proper lawn fertilization as “areas where you are not duplicating the effort of the DNR [Department of Natural Resources] and the federal government.”
In broaching the subject of the Dominion project, Shaw declared that the county commission
