January 30, 2013

Our planned waste-to-energy facility has been the most over-studied and over-analyzed public works project in our county’s history.

Two separately elected Boards of County Commissioners have each spent years looking at the project, and both reached the same conclusion – a renewable waste-to-energy facility will provide for Frederick County’s long-term waste disposal needs in a reliable, economical and environmentally sustainable way.

Thank you to the Maryland Department of the Environment for what is clearly a lot of hard work examining the project.  Everyone in our state knows that you treat these types of projects very carefully, and your blessing on this permit gives all us further confidence in the safety of the waste-to-energy facility.  We are confident that your work will help hold this facility to the stringent state regulations that keep Maryland such a clean and safe place to live.

We think it’s important for you to know that the Frederick County Commissioners took steps to ask for additional research and study of the safety of waste-to-energy, asking for an independent, third party health risk assessment.  We were pleased to see it come back with such positive conclusions, reassuring all of the residents of our community that the facility will be safe.

It’s time for Frederick County to join other places like Montgomery County and Baltimore City in using our waste to produce renewable energy.  Every time we pass by Orioles Park at Camden Yards, or M&T Stadium where the Ravens play, we are reminded that Baltimore’s waste-to-energy facility is operating nearby – cleanly, safely and quietly.

Waste-to-energy facilities are seen as the smartest solution for municipal waste in far more environmentally progressive countries than ours, all across Europe.  Here in Frederick County, we are doing the right thing.  It’s time for the permits to get issued and construction to begin.  Let’s stop filling out-of-state landfills and start using our trash to create renewable energy.

We need to get started on ensuring that the millions of dollars we already spend each year on waste disposal at out-of-state landfills are instead invested in our community and used to create jobs here in Frederick County, while generating renewable energy that is so necessary for our future.

It’s important to mention that this project comes at a particularly important time for the economy of Frederick County and our region.  We continue to be in need of local investment and local jobs, and this project represents both – hundreds of local jobs and $260 million in local investment during construction, as well as long term jobs and local spending during operation.

This project also represents long-term savings for the taxpayers of Frederick County, compared to our current practice of trucking our municipal waste to out-of-state landfills.

This project gives us here in Frederick County control of our trash future, rather than having to hope that out-of-state landfills keep taking our trash.  What’s the alternative?  More than likely, we would need to find a location for a new landfill here in Frederick County – and we certainly don’t see any communities volunteering for that!

We have been impressed with the studies that show how communities with waste-to-energy facilities have higher rates of recycling compared to other communities.  We know that some of this is because of the additional metals recycled from a waste-to-energy facility.  And we also promise that we will continue to focus on encouraging all of our residents to continue to expand their recycling in their homes.

We believe that  moving forward on this waste-to-energy project, using the most modern technology available, will put Frederick County on the forefront of a solution to our long term solid waste needs.

We urge state officials to expeditiously complete approval of the necessary permits and let Frederick County move forward with responsibly planning for our long-term waste disposal needs.