Judge throws out zoning exemption for Cove Point site

摘要

A county judge has overturned a zoning exemption given to the proposed Cove Point liquefied natural gas export facility, but it's not clear the ruling will have an effect on the project as it moves forward. Calvert County, Md., officials acted illegally when they exempted the $3.4 billion Cove Point plant from the zoning rules, Judge James Salmon ruled. The judge said the action violated Maryland's constitution by treating the site's owner, Dominion Energy Solutions, differently from other property owners. Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said the decision showed regulators were "cutting dangerous corners" when they greenlighted Cove Point. Tidwell said the ruling could delay the facility's construction, though a Dominion spokesman said it was unlikely to affect plans to start building by the end of the year.