Sierra Club blocks Md. natural gas export terminal

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Sierra Club says it will block an energy company's plan to export liquefied natural gas from the booming Marcellus Shale formation.

Virginia-based Dominion Resources Inc. is seeking to export 1 billion cubic feet per day through a terminal it owns in Maryland. A previous legal settlement gives the Sierra Club the ability to reject any significant changes to the purpose or footprint of the existing natural gas terminal in Cove Point, Md.

The environmental group says the export project could result in major damage to the Chesapeake Bay and nearby Calvert Cliffs State Park in Maryland.

Dominion says the Cove Point terminal is well-situated to export gas from the prolific Marcellus Shale region, which lies beneath Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Ohio and other states.