Embedded Files
Maryland's Pipelines
Maryland's Pipelines to Climate Chaos
Maryland's Pipelines to Climate Chaos
Maryland's Pipelines to Climate Chaos
Panel Discussion held
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020
HoCo Climate Action, Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) and MD Sierra Club hosted a discussion about the planned expansion of fracked gas in Maryland. Speakers include
David Smedick of the Sierra Club
Diana Younts of the Climate Justice Wing of the Maryland Legislative Coalition.
Organizations across the state worked hard to ban fracking, and the governor and lawmakers agreed it was unsafe. Yet Maryland is building more fracked-gas infrastructure, including pipelines and gas systems for buildings, and pushing similarly faulty biogas instead of going all-in on cheaper clean energy alternatives. All this during a #ClimateEmergency, when Maryland has to meet renewable energy goals from the Clean Energy Jobs Act.
This webinar focused on Chesapeake Utilities’ proposed 10-mile intrastate extension pipeline that will bring fracked gas from a 7-mile Del-Mar interstate pipeline into Somerset County. The proposed Chesapeake Utilities Project is one of two new pipelines proposed for the Eastern Shore. The first is the Del-Mar pipeline which would bring gas down the shore from Delaware. This one, the Chesapeake Utilities Project, would connect to the Del-Mar pipeline and bring fracked gas across the shore to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the Eastern Correctional Institution in Somerset County.
One more reason to end the fracked-gas party: The August 2020 explosion in Baltimore that killed two people, injured others and leveled three homes is a scary reminder that, instead of building new pipelines, companies need to repair or update existing pipelines while shifting to clean energy. In fact, the Baltimore Sun reported last year that BGE would need at least two decades to make the necessary upgrades. All the while, these pipelines are leaking methane, adding to our climate crisis. The state Public Service Commission also determined that unsafe BGE equipment caused the explosion that leveled the Columbia office building in 2019.
HoCo Climate Action signed on to a powerful letter to two Board of Public Works members that was drafted by one of our speakers, Diana Younts. On the Zoom, Diana explained how she learned about these pipelines and the BPW meetings, where these projects could receive final approvals. She collaborated with the Climate Justice Wing of the Maryland Legislative Coalition, the Takoma Park Mobilization and others to craft this persuasive 10-page sign-on letter for State Comptroller Franchot and Treasurer Kopp. CCAN circulated this FACT SHEET.
Sadly, the Board of Public Works voted to approve the Chesapeake Utilities Project final pipeline permits in December 2020 and Jan 2021. MDE Water Quality Hearing Chesapeake Utilities Project.
Original text:
Organizations across the state worked hard to ban fracking, and the governor and lawmakers agreed it was unsafe. Yet Maryland is building more fracked-gas infrastructure, including pipelines and gas systems for buildings, and pushing similarly faulty biogas instead of going all-in on cheaper clean energy alternatives. All this during a #ClimateEmergency, when Maryland has to meet renewable energy goals from the Clean Energy Jobs Act.
What you can do:
Join us at the online hearing Thursday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. for the MDE Water Quality Hearing Chesapeake Utilities Project. This hearing concerns Chesapeake Utilities’ proposed 10-mile intrastate extension pipeline that will bring fracked gas from a 7-mile Del-Mar interstate pipeline into Somerset County. Please register here with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). Questions, comments and feedback go to: mary.phipps-dickerson@maryland.gov The proposed Chesapeake Utilities Project is one of two new pipelines proposed for the Eastern Shore. The first is the Del-Mar pipeline which would bring gas down the shore from Delaware. This one, the Chesapeake Utilities Project, would connect to the Del-Mar pipeline and bring fracked gas across the shore to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the Eastern Correctional Institution in Somerset County.
Keep in mind: The Eastern Shore is ground zero for climate change in Maryland. We know that the expansion of dangerous fracked-gas infrastructure is a major step in the wrong direction. Now is the time to invest in clean energy, not fracked gas that threatens our homes, our land and our safety.
Find talking points, petitions and more in this summary from CCAN
Be sure to sign this CCAN petition to the Board of Public Works (BPW), included in the CCAN resources above. You will get updates on this and subsequent hearings at the BPW. Note: The BPW hearing anticipated for September has been rescheduled to October or later.
Get your community group to sign on to a powerful letter to two Board of Public Works members that was drafted by one of our speakers, Diana Younts, djyounts@gmail.com. On the Zoom, Diana explained how she learned about these pipelines and the BPW meetings, where these projects could receive final approvals. She collaborated with the Climate Justice Wing of the Maryland Legislative Coalition, the Takoma Park Mobilization and others to craft this persuasive 10-page sign-on letter for State Comptroller Franchot and Treasurer Kopp. If your group wants to sign on, contact her to have your group’s name added (and logo if any).
Group sign on letter here. Shorter Individual letter here.
One more reason to end the fracked-gas party: The recent explosion in Baltimore that killed two people, injured others and leveled three homes is a scary reminder that, instead of building new pipelines, companies need to repair or update existing pipelines while shifting to clean energy. In fact, the Baltimore Sun reported last year that BGE would need at least two decades to make the necessary upgrades. All the while, these pipelines are leaking methane, adding to our climate crisis. The state Public Service Commission also recently determined that unsafe BGE equipment caused the explosion that leveled the Columbia office building in 2019.
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