Stop Cove Point

By TIPPY PATRINOS

This week, I will be skipping my Thursday lectures and going to a rally in downtown Baltimore. Most students reading this would probably never even consider doing this, but for me, it’s a no-brainer. I’m skipping lecture to show support for a cause I truly believe in—and that you should too.

On February 20th, the Maryland Public Service Commission will be meeting in Baltimore to discuss the possible construction of Cove Point, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility on Chesapeake Bay in Southern Maryland. Busloads of people are coming from all over the state to voice their objection to Cove Point. The production and exportation of natural gas has recently increased in popularity, especially on the East Coast. This is because of advances in hydraulic fracturing technology (also known as “fracking”) that allow anyone with a permit to drill massive amounts of natural gas at a time. Although doing this would appear to be a way to make easy money, the gas industry is the only one that will profit from Cove Point; society, on the other hand, will suffer high externalities as a result.

The process of extracting, processing and transporting LNG is extremely energy-intensive as well as extremely water-intensive. Drilling for gas involves injecting a combination of highly pressurized water and toxic chemicals deep into the ground to fracture rock. Fracking requires 3 to 8 million gallons of water per well, and the chemicals can easily contaminate groundwater[1]. To support the Cove Point export facility, Maryland will need to increase to current production of natural gas, as well as the likelihood that our waterways will be poisoned.

Another consequence of the increase in local natural gas production will be increased competition in Maryland, which will drive up energy costs for domestic consumers. The Department of Energy commissioned an NERA Economic Consulting Analysis to reveal how the exportation of natural gas affects the economy. Their findings show that such projects negatively affect every sector of the U.S. economy save for the gas industry [2].

However, possibly the most important consequence of going through with Cove Point will be the effect on our climate. Not only does the process of burning gas release greenhouse gas emissions that ultimately speed the rate of climate change, but the construction of Cove Point, as well as all the drills and facilities to maintain it, only adds to the danger. As students of Johns Hopkins University, we should be especially concerned about this.

As average global temperatures continue to climb as a result of climate change, ice in the Arctic melts and increases the global sea level. This should make us particularly nervous, considering how close our University is to the water. In addition, the changing climate will increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Katrina. We should be doing everything in our power to preserve our state from the dangers of climate change. The construction of Cove Point would put our state, our University, and our community completely at risk.

As young people, the future is all we have. We have a moral obligation to our generation and to future generations to leave this world a little better than we found it. As residents of Maryland, we should be doing all we can to protect our home from economic and environmental stress. The natural gas industry is counting on us to not pay attention—to be distracted by school, and to not attend this rally or raise our voices—which is precisely why I am going.

If you want to you voice your objection to Cove Point but you absolutely cannot miss class, there are other ways to get involved. Submit a public comment to the Maryland Public Service Commission, call Governor O’Malley, or call Senators Cardin and Mikulski and tell them why you think the construction of Cove Point would be destructive for our state and our University. Visit http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/ for more information.

[1] Abdalla, Charles W.; Drohan, Joy R. (2010) (PDF).Water Withdrawals for Development of Marcellus Shale Gas in Pennsylvania. Introduction to Pennsylvania’s Water Resources (Report). The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved 16 September 2012.

[2] Macroeconomic Impacts of LNG Exports from the United States, NERA Economic Consulting (Dec. 2012)

Tippy Patrinos is a Senior majoring in English and Global Environmental Change and Sustainability.