But elected officials and community leaders have long been critical of the project, saying it will damage the environment. They also worry about accidents or terrorists attacks at the facility, saying the terminal and the ships carrying the liquefied natural gas would be too close to homes in eastern Baltimore County. The historically black neighborhood of Turners Station is less than two miles away.
Critics of the project are also worried about importing natural gas.
"I'm disappointed that our federal energy policy is to be reliant on foreign sources of fuel," Smith said. "That's what this LNG project would do."
Appealing a case to the Supreme Court can be expensive, and "you don't do it lightly," the county executive, a former Circuit Court judge, said. However, the county will use its staff attorneys to argue the case and file the paperwork, Smith said.
The Supreme Court challenge is considered a long shot by legal experts, because the nation's highest court hears few of the cases submitted to it. But a decision by the justices this year stopped a proposed LNG project on the Delaware River, though the case was more narrowly about state water rights.
Community leaders said yesterday that they were pleased the county plans to continue fighting the project.
"The question is: Should a private company's interest take priority over the protection of public health, welfare, safety and the environment?" said Russell Donnelly, an environmental activist from eastern Baltimore County.
A vote on the project by the five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is planned for late November.
laura.barnhardt@baltsun.com
