Maryland union leaders have long supported the project because of the jobs it would create, including 50 permanent jobs and 375 temporary construction positions.
But when AES announced its plans two years ago, the project was met with almost instant opposition by community leaders and elected officials, concerned about the possible environmental damage and about the safety of the facility and pipeline.
"It's just a bad idea," said Carolyn Jones, president of the Greater Dundalk Alliance and co-founder of the LNG Opposition Team.
FOR THE RECORD - An article in yesterday's Maryland section incorrectly referred to a proposed natural gas pipeline as a LNG pipeline. Under the plan, a terminal would be built in Sparrows Point to receive tankers carrying liquefied natural gas, but the liquid would be returned to its gaseous state before being pumped through a proposed pipeline to Pennsylvania.
The Sun regrets the error.
Whether the residents live near the proposed plant or the pipeline, she said, "It's devastating to the environment, no matter which way you look at it."
But a string of regulatory decisions has gone in favor of AES in recent months.
In July, officials of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development calculated that the plant would be far enough away from HUD projects to meet standards.
In June, the U.S. secretary of commerce decided to override the state's objections to the project that had been based on a finding that the LNG project would conflict with the state's coastal zone management plan.
Maryland officials are waiting until after the final FERC report is released this month before deciding whether to appeal the Commerce Department's decision in U.S. District Court, according to a spokesman for Gov. Martin O'Malley.
This month, Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. said the county would ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appellate ruling in May that the county overstepped its authority by creating zoning regulations that would have made it easier to stop the project.
Two of the three public hearings held in June about the LNG project took place in communities not far from the pipeline. And public notices were mailed to property owners, according to FERC.
But some of the intended recipients have told officials that they did not receive the mailings and were caught off-guard by the plans.
An official with the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland wrote to FERC this summer saying the organization was unaware of the proposed pipeline, which would cross through its 600-acre Camp Conowingo in Cecil County, according to FERC filings.
Pitts asked for the additional FERC hearing to give people more information about the project, his spokesman, Andrew Cole, said.
