Natural Gas Line For Somerset Co. Wins Approval

The Maryland Board of Public Works has granted final approval for a tidal wetlands license that would bring natural gas to Somerset County, a utility service local elected officials have been seeking to bring to area for years.

“We are pleased with the unanimous decision by the Maryland Board of Public Works to grant the final tidal wetlands license needed to extend natural gas to Somerset County, one of only three counties in Maryland without access to natural gas,” Chesapeake Utilities Spokesman Justin Mulcahy said. “This approval will enable University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) and Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) to greatly reduce greenhouse gas and other emissions to improve local air quality.”

The project had been contested due to environmental concerns, but supporters said natural gas would bring environmental benefits as well as needed service to the area.

“Residents and businesses along the line will soon have the choice to use environmentally beneficial and less expensive natural gas service, something elected officials and community members have advocated for more than two decades. This project will help bring prosperity to Somerset County, and we are grateful for the outpouring of support the project has received from the community,” Mulcahy continued. “With the help of so many citizens on the Eastern Shore, bringing natural gas to Somerset County has become a reality.”