The U.S. Coast Guard said it will create a permanent safety and security zone around Dominion Resources’ Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal on the eastern shore of Maryland in response to heightened terrorist warnings. The permanent zone will replace a temporary one that has been in place since Cove Point reactivated its LNG import operations last July.

In a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register Tuesday, the Coast Guard said the zone will extend 500 yards in all directions from the Cove Point terminal, barring vessels and persons from entering the area unless expressly authorized by the Captain of the Port in Baltimore, MD. The rule is expected to take effect on Jan. 29. Until then, a temporary security zone will be maintained.

“The purpose of the safety zone is to protect the public from the hazards associated with the cryogenic liquid that is always present at the offshore terminal. The [aim] of the security zone is to lower the risk of a potential transportation security incident,” said the Coast Guard, adding that it believes a 500-yard zone is the “appropriate size” to ensure both public safety and security.

In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and suburban Washington, DC, “there is an increased risk that subversive activity could be launched by vessels or persons in close proximity to the Cove Point LNG terminal,” wrote the Coast Guard, in explaining the need for the safety and security zone.

The Cove Point LNG terminal was reactivated last summer after having been mothballed since 1979. Dominion Cove Point is among the nation’s largest LNG import facilities, with a 1 Bcf/d send-out capacity sufficient to serve the daily energy needs of 3.4 million homes.

Cove Point’s 87-mile pipeline system connects with three major interstate pipelines in northern Virginia — Dominion Transmission, Columbia Gas and Transcontinental Gas. Through these connections, gas can flow to major markets in the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as to traditional underground storage fields, the company said.

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