BALTIMORE COUNTY DIGEST

The Baltimore Sun

Ruppersberger wants company to withdraw LNG plant application

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger is calling upon federal regulators to direct AES Corp. to withdraw its application to build a liquefied natural gas terminal on Sparrows Point.

In a letter sent yesterday to the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which decides where LNG facilities can be located, Ruppersberger wrote that the National Gas Act places a strong emphasis on protecting coastal areas.

Last month, a federal judge upheld a Baltimore County law that bans LNG plants from sensitive coastal areas such as Sparrows Point.

Because of the federal court ruling, Ruppersberger wrote, "It seems the wisest course of action is for the applicant to cancel this proposal and begin the search for a better, safer, and more environmentally appropriate alternative elsewhere."

In a statement yesterday, Kent Morton, AES' project manager, cautioned against rushing to judgment.

"The regulatory process considers the views of federal, state, and local agencies as well as all interested stakeholders," Morton wrote. "The judicial process whereby every person is entitled to a day in court has not yet played out."

The company is appealing the federal judge's decision.

Tamara Young-Allen, a spokeswoman for the FERC, said that there have been rare cases where the agency's attorneys have determined an application is "incurably deficient" and dismissed an application. But she said it would be "highly unusual" for the commission to dismiss an application without going through the full process of reviewing the proposal and making a decision to reject or approve the project.

AES Corp., a global power supply company based in Virginia, has proposed building an LNG terminal at the former Bethlehem Steel shipyard. Tankers would unload the imported liquid fuel, which would be converted back to gas and transported through a 87-mile pipeline to southern Pennsylvania, under the company's plan.

Laura Barnhardt

Courts

Arrest warrant issued for rapper charged with probation violation

A Baltimore County judge has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Kevin Barnes, a young rapper known as "Chopper," for failing to meet with his probation officer as required after a 2001 armed robbery conviction.

The former star of the MTV reality show Making the Band 2 pleaded guilty to robbing a couple with a BB gun six years ago when he was 16.

He was released after the incident, but a judge ordered a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court.

Barnes' attorney, Paul Gardner, said Barnes eventually assumed the charges had been dropped.

Barnes was detained last July on the outstanding warrant. A second warrant was issued when he missed an August court date in Baltimore County because he was in jail in Georgia after a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, his attorney said.

"He hasn't been hiding," Gardner told The (Baltimore) Examiner in March. "He's been enjoying his career."

Barnes failed to report to his probation officer to begin his two years of parole, Elizabeth Bartholomew, a spokeswoman for Maryland's Division of Parole and Probation, said. A third warrant was then issued.

"Chopper failed to appear before his probation officer because Chopper expected to report to a Georgia probation officer, not a Maryland one," Gardner said.

Bartholomew said Barnes did not serve any of his required 100 hours of community service, but his lawyer disputes that, saying that Barnes completed his community service in Baltimore County.

Gardner said the incident was a teenage mistake that shouldn't threaten the artist's future in the music industry. He will ask the judge to recall the warrant and set a date for Barnes to appear before the court.

Associated Press

Theater

Cockpit in Court theater to present 'Aida' starting Friday at CCBC

The musical Aida will be on the playbill for Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre this year. The show, with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, will run from Friday to Aug. 5 at the Essex campus of the Community College of Baltimore County. Tickets, which are $18 for general admission, $16 for seniors and $12 for children, are available at the CCBC box office. Information: 410-780-6369.

Events or news items for the Baltimore County Digest may be submitted to baltco.news@baltsun.com. Information should be sent at least 10 days in advance of the event.

Copyright © 2021, The Baltimore Sun, a Baltimore Sun Media Group publication | Place an Ad
72°