Md. Democrats voice concerns about pipeline’s impact on streams, turtles

By Zack Colman - 07/03/12 04:40 PM ET

Democratic lawmakers from Maryland are urging federal regulators to pay close attention to the environmental and health problems that might result from the expansion of a natural-gas pipeline in their state.

The 21.4-mile extension of the Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline that spans Owings Mills, Md., to Fallston, Md., could negatively affect drinking water, streams, fish and the federally threatened bog turtle species, the lawmakers said Monday in a letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). They urged the commission to involve area residents in the environmental assessment (EA) process.

“The planned EA is an important first step in determining whether this project is compatible with local needs,” the lawmakers said. “Should the EA reveal possible negative environmental, health, or safety impacts, we would urge the commission to delay implementation of the project until each such possible impact has been thoroughly investigated and an Environmental Impact Statement has been completed.”

The letter was signed by Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski and Reps. Elijah Cummings, Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes.

In response, a spokesman for the parent company of Columbia Gas Transmission said members of community have been involved in the process all along. A majority of the $100 million project runs parallel to the existing right of way, “which helps to minimize community and environmental impact,” Mike Banas of NiSource said in an email to The Hill.

“Placing new pipelines within existing utility corridors is common practice across the country because overlapping a new path with an existing right of way significantly reduces impacts to local communities and natural resources,” Banas said.

The extension would increase Columbia Gas Transmission’s right of way from 50 feet to 75 feet. About 300 property owners would be affected, according to Cardin.

Columbia Gas Transmission has yet to file a formal application with energy regulators for the project, according to FERC spokeswoman Tamara Young-Allen. A pre-filing scoping session for the site was held in the spring as a sort of feasibility study, she said.

Banas said Columbia Gas Transmission anticipates filing a formal proposal with FERC this fall.