Posted on January 27, 2025
BALTIMORE — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, in coordination with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), is hosting joint public hearings and soliciting comments from the public regarding the application, water quality certification request, and draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Sparrows Point Container Terminal in the Port of Baltimore.
The purpose of the hearings is for the USACE and MDE to receive oral or written comments that will enable them to evaluate the impacts of the proposed project on the public interest. At this time, no decision has been made as to whether or not authorizations will be issued. All interested parties, including representatives of Federal, State, and local governments and private individuals and organizations, are invited to be present or to be represented.
The meetings will provide members of the public the opportunity to present views, opinions, and information that will be considered by the USACE in evaluating the Department of the Army (DA) Permit Application and draft EIS. The MDE is evaluating the Joint Federal/State Application for the Alteration of any Floodplain, Waterway, or Tidal Wetland in Maryland Joint Permit Application proposed for the project and the Section 401 Water Quality Certification request.
The joint public hearings will be held at the following locations and times:
- February 25, 2025 (In-Person)
Sollers Point Multi-Purpose Center; 323 Sollers Point Road; Dundalk, Maryland 21222
Poster Session from 5-6 p.m.; Public Hearing from 6-9 p.m.
- February 27, 2025 (Virtual)
Access the virtual public hearing meeting at this link: https://bit.ly/SPCTWaterQuality
Poster Session (slide presentation) from 2-3 p.m.; public hearing from 3-6 p.m.
In case of inclement weather on February 25, 2025, where the Baltimore County snow emergency plan is in effect or Baltimore County public schools are closed, the in-person public hearing will be held on March 4, 2025, at the Sollers Point Multi-Purpose Center located at 323 Sollers Point Road, Dundalk, Maryland 21222. From 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. there will be a poster session and the public hearing will extend from 6:00 p.m. ending no later than 9:00 p.m. If the hearing on February 25 is held, there will not be a hearing on March 4.
Plan exhibits will be made available for review at the in-person poster session and the public will have an opportunity to ask general questions of the applicant, Tradepoint TiL Terminals LLC. Representatives from the USACE and MDE will also be available during the poster sessions. The formal in-person public hearing will begin at 6 p.m. with agency statements, followed by public testimony. The hearings will be transcribed and transcripts will be available approximately ten days after the hearing on the MDE project website.
USACE is accepting written statements concerning the proposed activity on or before March 21, 2025. Comments should reference the USACE Application Number NAB-2023-61200-M07 and must be submitted by the aforementioned date to become a part of the record and to be considered in the final determination. We encourage you to use the Regulatory Request System to submit comments on this public notice by visiting http://rrs.usace.army.mil. Alternatively, comments can be sent through postal mail at the address below, or via email at NAB-SPCT@usace.army.mil.
United States Army Corps of Engineers
Baltimore District – Regulatory Branch
Attn: Ms. Maria N. Teresi
2 Hopkins Plaza
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Please click here for information regarding MDE’s review of the project.
About Sparrows Point Container Terminal
The proposed Sparrows Point Container Terminal would be located in Baltimore County, Maryland within the Tradepoint Atlantic development on a 330-acre area on the southwest peninsula of Sparrows Point known as Coke Point Peninsula. The proposed terminal would consist of a +/- 3,000-foot marginal wharf with up to nine ship-to-shore cranes, a container yard, gate complex, intermodal/rail yard, and various support structures. To provide vessel access to the wharf, the project would include deepening and widening of the existing Sparrows Point Channel and turning basin, which would require mechanical dredging, placement of approximately 4.2 million cubic yards (MCY) of dredged material, and construction of an approximate 19.6 acre on-site dredged material containment facility in the Patapsco River.
For additional information on the Sparrows Point Container Terminal draft EIS, public comment period and public hearings, including weather contingency plans and ADA accessibility details for hearings, go to https://www.nab.usace.army.mil/SPCT/.
