WCBC

February 27th, 2014 by WCBC Radio

A local Unitarian minister and three western Maryland residents were arrested just before noon today outside the Allegany County Courthouse in Cumberland for protesting Virginia-based Dominion Resources’ plan to build a liquefied natural gas export facility at Cove Point in southern Maryland.

Allegany County Sheriff Craig Robertston tells WCBC News that local law enforcement knew in advance of the planned protest, and took the four into custody when they allegedly blocked the courthouse entrance.

The four were protesting the federal handling of the $3.8 billion project, which would take nearly a billion cubic feet of gas per day from fracking wells across the Appalachian region, liquefy it on the Chesapeake Bay, and export it to Asia.

Reverend Terence Ellen, a minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Greater Cumberland and three young people, including two native residents of Cumberland who are students at Frostburg University and a local Frostburg

With signs reading “Don’t Bring Fracking to Western Maryland” and “This Is Our Public Comment!” they specifically called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to conduct a full and fair Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Cove Point. They also appealed to Governor Martin O’Malley and members of Congress for action.