The Cove Point LNG Terminal: Is This what Pennsylvanians Want in their Backyard?

The Cove Point LNG (liquified natural gas) facility in Lusby, Maryland is the first LNG export facility on the US East Coast. It is located in a beautiful coastal area near the Cove Point Lighthouse. The plant has been touted as a “model facility” by those hoping to install a similar, yet larger, operation on the Delaware River in PA.

Two PSR PA staff members visited the area recently. What they discovered was a huge, yet hidden industrial campus with gigantic LNG holding tanks concealed by a line of trees, sited directly next to the Cove Point Park Playground and about about two thousand feet from the Chesapeake Bay–not to mention the surrounding communities.

And there are fugitive emissions.  Now let’s talk about that!

While children played nearby in bouncy houses and on softball fields, PSR PA’s certified thermographer pointed the FLIR OGI (optical gas imaging) camera towards the facility. The OGI camera, used to detect hydrocarbon releases like methane, revealed gas emissions, invisible to the naked eye, streaming from behind the trees into the sky.

Scientific research studies have shown a 5 to 7 times greater risk of lymphoma for children who live near gas operations than those who live far away. Living in close proximity to gas operations is also associated with miscarriage, stillbirth, and low birthweight babies. Clearly, children and families who live near the park, and play in the park, are at risk.

Every stage of the LNG supply chain poses public-health risks. Gas extraction releases VOCs (volatile organic compounds), including benzene (a carcinogen linked to leukemia), and other pollutants tied to asthma and adverse birth outcomes. Compressor stations and pipelines emit nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) that trigger heart and lung disease. Liquefaction and export terminals like Cove Point LNG release large volumes of NOx, PM2.5, and HAPs (hazardous air pollutants) during routine operations and “blowdown” events, increasing rates of respiratory illness in nearby communities. LNG tank ship engines can leak methane and generate particle pollution that worsens coastal air quality. And burning gas—whether in power plants or kitchen stoves—produces nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant tied to elevated asthma rates, especially in children. There is no segment that is health-neutral.

In addition, if LNG escapes a tank, it creates an ultra-cold, flammable gas cloud that hugs the ground, can travel quickly, and can asphyxiate people and animals. As it warms (still a hundred degrees below zero), it expands to 600 times its original size and causes frostbite on contact. Not something you’d want to experience while on the playground.

Where is the gas being exported? It is shipped to countries such as Belgium–where extracting gas from the ground is illegal because of risk of cancers, reproductive problems, other health problems and its major contribution to climate change as seen in the US–all problems to which our officials, including President Trump and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, are willing to turn a blind eye.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania ranks 49th in the nation for percentage growth in total solar, wind and geothermal generation over the past decade, according to a 2025 report by PennEnvironment.

Photo by George Gore, published on Google Maps

Hearing November 5th on an LNG Terminal Planned for Delaware County, PA 

Citizens of the Delaware River Corridor are trying to stop a plan to build these facilities in their area. Please join them at a hearing in Chester City Hall, Chester, PA.

WHAT: PA House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee Hearing - in person

WHEN: 10 am, Wednesday, November 5

WHERE: Chester City Hall, 1 Fourth Street, Chester, PA 19013

WHO: The House Committee has invited speakers to testify, including

• Zulene Mayfield, Founder of Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL);

• Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director at Delaware Riverkeeper Network;

• James Hiatt, Founder of Better Bayou Coalition (from LA);

• Liz Marx, Executive Director at PA Utility Law Project;

• Lauren Minsky, Visiting Assistant Professor at Haverford College; and

• Dr. Robert Howarth, Professor of Ecology and Environmental Biology at Cornell University.

A full roster of speakers will be announced by the Committee in the near future. Both the majority and minority chairs are providing testifiers.

WHY: Penn America is trying to build a Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Export Terminal in Chester or adjacent locations in southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware River. This polluting and highly dangerous proposal carries human health, environmental, and public safety impacts that will be laid on our communities and the Delaware River region. This Hearing will give people the opportunity to hear details about the proposal and examine its potential effects and it will inform our legislative representatives.

DETAILS: People are invited to attend in person at City Hall. The Hearing will also be broadcast on the House website at https://go.delawareriverkeeper.org/e/176172/live-kCgZAsQSaXw/2wgmk8/607440772/h/Z6zbrbvz0vv1faYY3PuqNfwtPaN56hiIzSGWtey_KPM.

If you are joining in person, arrive before 10am to get a seat. There is a parking lot available at City Hall.