Overview
In 2005, Washington Gas Company requested a special exception permit to convert the Chillum Natural Gas Facility at 2130 Chillum Road to accommodate LNG (liquified natural gas). This facility had operated for 66 years until the two gas storage tanks were decommissioned in 1999. LNG can produce a cloud of dangerous gas when it comes in contact with air or water. When it interacts with electrical wire or heat, intense fires can result. Clearly this was not appropriate for a densely populated area. The gas company thought they would put it in a relatively low income, minority neighborhood and no one would complain. However, the local community organized and successfully opposed their plans.
History
More details on the beginning of the project are in the fall 2005 edition of the Chesapeake Newsletter.
On September 22, 2005 the Maryland Parks and Planning Commission's Board denied Washington Gas's request for a permit to open a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, accepting their staff's recommendation and endorsing the overwhelming opposition of community members and leaders. WG would not accept this and tried to pursue their project through a variety of government agencies and government groups.
On March 23, 2006, Prince George's County adopted a zoning plan aimed at maximizing “transit-oriented development” in the area around the West Hyattsville Metro Center and prohibiting all industrial usage in that area, which included the Chillum Site. The County then denied Washington Gas zoning approval on August 24, 2006. However, WG then sued the County, saying that state and federal laws preempt the county’s zoning authority.
Another way that activists tried to prevent the construction of the LNG site was through regulation at the state level. However, in 2009, three years of efforts to change things via the legislature were unsuccessful because of certain powerful politicians, such as Thomas Middleton (Charles County). He and others within the large corporate community were driven by the false claims of WGS that better siting standards will lead to huge gas rate increases for businesses.
This article summarizes the progress as of February 2010 and explains the complications from having to deal with numerous local, state and federal agencies and commissions involved in the decision.
Here's an interview with Imani Kazana, a leader of the group to prevent the Chillum Road LNG plant, from July of 2010.
Resolution
In March 2012, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland threw out Washington Gas's attempt to circumvent Prince George's county zoning ordinance that had prevented WG from building its long sought after liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facility. (Read the article here.)
