Howard County residents to rally in support of bill that could ban plastic recycling plant in residential areas
Howard County residents and advocates are expected to rally Monday evening as county councilmembers prepare to vote on a bill that would prohibit the incineration of plastic in residential zones.
In a statement Sunday, residents expressed concerns that the bill won't get the votes needed to pass.
Residents argue that the "common sense bill" will protect communities from toxic emissions and other dangers like potential leaks, fires and explosions at plastic recycling facilities.
Under the proposed bill, activities that impact surrounding areas with noise, fumes or vibrations would be classified as manufacturing in the county's zoning regulations. Manufacturing activities are required to be in areas far from residential neighborhoods to protect the health and safety of residents.
Residents oppose recycling plant
The bill comes as some residents have been pushing for protections against the Maryland-based chemical company W.R. Grace & Co., which plans to build a plastic recycling plant that would border some neighborhoods.
In November 2024, residents from the Cedar Creek and Village of River Hill neighborhoods submitted a zoning regulation amendment to the county's planning board, calling for a 1,800-foot buffer between neighborhoods and facilities that require an emissions permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).
"We're just asking to keep these people in a safe environment," Howard County resident Anwer Hasan said. "That's all we're asking."
Under the bill, W.R. Grace's plastic recycling plant would be classified as a manufacturing activity and would not be allowed to be built near any residential area in the county
heated public hearing in February.
"The chemicals they admitted will be emitted, will be dangerous at the distances we are," said Shamika Preston. "It doesn't matter if it's teeny-weeny or a whole lot."
W.R. Grace told WJZ that the recycling plant will not burn plastic and will only be used to study a potentially game-changing innovation for recycling plastic that is safe and effective.
"If passed, this ZRA would set a harmful precedent that would repel institutions and employers away from Howard County. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) process is designed specifically to evaluate the safety of projects like ours, and we are committed to faithfully and fully following that process," W.R. Grace said in a statement.
The company said the plant could reduce energy use, improve air emissions and help keep plastic out of landfills and oceans. The company has been working with MDE since 2023 on permit planning, though MDE has not yet decided on approval.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
JD Vance boasts Trump will call in National Guard to quell riots ‘again if he has to' following appeals court victory
President Trump will not hesitate to send in the National Guard 'again' after an appeals court ruled the commander in chief can maintain control of thousands of troops he deployed to the City of Angeles in response to anti-ICE riots, Vice President JD Vance declared Friday. 'If you enforce your own laws and if you protect federal law enforcement, we're not going to send in the National Guard — because it's unnecessary,' Vance said during remarks outside a federal building in Los Angeles. 'But if you let violent rioters burn great American cities to the ground, then of course we're going to send federal law enforcement in to protect people.' 3 Vice President JD Vance visited Los Angeles on Friday, a city that has become the epicenter of anti-ICE riots in response to President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. The Sun 'The president's going to do it again if he has to, but hopefully it won't be necessary,' the vice president warned. Vance noted that the 'rioting has gotten a lot better' since Trump dispatched active-duty service members to LA, but he warned that local officials are 'worried that it's going to flare back up.' Los Angeles has become the epicenter of anti-ICE riots in response to Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. Trump deployed troops to the City of Angeles to tamp down clashes between rioters and federal authorities seeking out criminal illegal migrants. The vice president toured a multi-agency federal joint operations center and an FBI mobile command center currently being used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials during his trip to Los Angeles. Vance was briefed by leaders of the 14 different agencies — including ICE, Department of Defense, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol — using the operations center to coordinate immigration enforcement actions in LA. 3 Vance told reporters outside a Los Angeles federal building that, 'If you enforce your own laws and if you protect federal law enforcement, we're not going to send in the National Guard — because it's unnecessary.' The veep also met with some of the 200 active-duty Marines deployed to the city and tasked with protecting federal property and federal personnel. They will be joined by an additional 500 Marines and 2,000 more Guardsmen, on top of the 2,000 National Guard troops already active in the city. US District Court Judge Charles Breyer had previously ruled that Trump likely exceeded his constitutional authority by dispatching the soldiers despite opposition from California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom — marking the first deployment of a state National Guard by the president without the governor's permission since 1965. The San Francisco-based Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals, however, suggested in its ruling that Trump lawfully exercised his statutory authority in taking federal control of the guard, as the violence and chaos in Los Angeles warranted the administration's decision to do so. 3 Vance also said the rioting has calmed down a bit since President Trump sent the National Guard into the area. The Sun Trump called the decision a 'BIG WIN' in a post on Truth Social. The president has previously suggested that Los Angeles would be 'burning to the ground' if he hadn't sent in the Marines and National Guard to quell the anti-ICE riots. ICE has continued carrying out enforcement operations in LA despite the protests. During his brief remarks, Vance said that he wished Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) — who was thrown out of a Department of Homeland Security press conference last week and handcuffed after interrupting Secretary Kristi Noem — had been present, but he mixed up the senator's name. 'I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question, but unfortunately, I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't the theater — and that's all it is.'
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Barron Trump made millions from family's lucrative crypto firm: report
Barron Trump, the youngest son of the 47th President, may have raked in millions of dollars from the sale of crypto tokens linked to the family's lucrative venture into digital tokens, according to report. The 19-year-old New York University student could have picked up a cool $40 million — $25 million after taxes — from the sale of digital assets by World Liberty Financial Group, the Trump family firm launched nine months ago after Barron persuaded his dad about the benefits of crypto, Forbes reported. 'Barron knows so much about this,' commander-in-chief said during an interview in September after the launch. 'Barron's a young guy, but he knows it — he talks about his wallet. He's got four wallets or something, and I'm saying, 'What is a wallet?'' Barron Trump, seen here at his father's second inauguration, is listed as a 'co-founder' on World Liberty Financial's website. AFP via Getty Images World Liberty has been a financial bonanza for the family. In March, World Liberty announced that it had sold $550 million worth of tokens. An Office of Government Ethics filing released by President Trump last week declared he had made $57 million from token sales. It also said that the real estate mogul held a 75% stake in his umbrella company, DT Marks Defi LLC, with unnamed 'third parties' holding the other 25%. Barron Trump is listed as a 'co-founder' of World Liberty Financial alongside the president, as well as Eric and Donald Trump Jr, the president's two eldest sons. Forbes, which provided no direct evidence for its claims of Barron Trump's massive digital windfall, suggested that he owned a 7.5% stake in Delaware-based World Liberty. The stake would mirror what the NYU freshman holds in the Trump Organization's Washington, DC hotel, Forbes said. The Post has approached a Trump Organization spokesperson for comment. Trump once derided digital assets such as Bitcoin as 'a scam' but he has since U-turned and embraced cryptocurrencies. REUTERS Barron Trump's name does not appear in the company's solitary SEC filing from October 30 last year. Also listed as business partners in the venture are Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his son, Zachary. An analysis by Bloomberg, the financial news outlet, estimates the president's net worth has doubled since the start of his 2024 campaign, standing at just over $5.4 billion
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Social Security stops reporting call wait times and other metrics
Social Security has stopped publicly reporting its processing times for benefits, the 1-800 number's current call wait time and numerous other performance metrics, which customers and advocates have used to track the agency's struggling customer service programs. The agency removed a menu of live phone and claims data from its website earlier this month, according to Internet Archive records. It put up a new page this week that offers a far more limited view of the agency's customer service performance. The website also now urges customers to use an online portal for services rather than calling the main phone line or visiting a field office — two options that many disabled and elderly people with limited mobility or computer skills rely on for help. The agency had previously considered cutting phone services and then scrapped those plans amid an uproar. The changes are the latest sign of the agency's struggle with website crashes, overloaded servers and long lines at field offices after cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service targeted the agency's customer service system. The decision to remove public-facing data drew sharp criticism from advocates who said that it will make it more difficult to assess how the agency is performing for its 74 million beneficiaries. Former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, who served as Social Security commissioner under President Joe Biden, said that public disclosure of data provided staff with an incentive for higher performance and held the agency accountable. 'It's a shame that now they are trashing the trust that the public should have in numbers that are timely and accurate and real,' O'Malley said. In response to questions about why the data was removed, a Social Security spokesperson who declined to be named said that as Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano 'continues to evaluate the agency, we are updating our performance metrics to better reflect the real experiences of the people we serve and highlight the fastest ways our customers can get service. The agency will determine if additional information will be provided at a later date.' The spokesperson also provided a statement from Bisignano that said his 'top priority is to turn the Social Security Administration into a model of excellence — one that operates at peak efficiency.' The spokesperson said Bisignano aims to make Social Security a 'digital-first' agency, and the agency wants to encourage customers to use the online portal so staff can focus on more complex cases. Alex Lawson, executive director of the Social Security Works advocacy group, said the data removals 'hide how much they've destroyed the system's customer service.' 'If they think this lack of transparency will fool the American people, they're in for a surprise,' Lawson said. 'People notice when they can't get an appointment because their local field office has lost half its staff. When checks and decisions are delayed. When they get the runaround from an AI chatbot on the phone, instead of getting to talk to a real person.' In response to the criticism, White House spokeswoman Elizabeth Huston said in a statement that President Donald Trump 'is leading the most transparent administration in history' and Bisignano 'is streamlining the Social Security Administration to deliver more efficient and better service for American taxpayers.' Among the performance metrics now withheld was a 'live data' section with current call wait time, callback wait time, number of callers waiting on hold and the number of callers waiting on callback. The new website now shows only the percentage of calls and number of calls handled through automation, the average speed to answer and the total number of customers served. That data is only available for the fiscal year through the last month that data is available. And while the previous dashboard allowed users to click on data points and see trends over time, the new page does not show historical data. The dashboard says that nearly 42 percent of calls — or 27.2 million — were handled through automation in the current fiscal year through the last completed month. In contrast, the Social Security spokesperson said 5 percent — or 2.9 million calls — were handled through automation in the same period in the prior year. The data does not identify what month was used. It took an average of 19.2 minutes to answer calls and 72 percent of customers were served over the phone in this fiscal year through the last available month, the dashboard shows. The current tracker now provides one new statistic about in-person visits: that the average time to wait for an appointment at a field office is 34 days. The page says 'very few services require you to visit a field office' and customers are encouraged again to use the online portal. However, that statistic is a national average and does not help retirees and those with disabilities assess what wait times might be like in their area. Pages with information about the processing times for retirement, survivor, disability and Medicare benefits are now gone, as well as pages about the time it takes to reconsider disability decisions and process appeals. There is no reference to disability benefits on the new page. Another agency webpage does have some historical data about claims available to download. Rich Couture, a spokesman for the largest federal workers union, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said the loss of 10 percent of the agency's workforce has taken a 'toll on already overworked employees.' 'Removal of real-time performance data from SSA's website will only obscure the impact of the cuts and chaos on public service,' he said in a statement. One Social Security employee, who works in a claims processing center and who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said she suspects the erased webpages indicate an attempt to hide exploding call times and service backlogs piling up under the second Trump administration. She noted that, in her experience under Trump so far, it is taking at least double the time to process a claim than it did under Biden. She sits near colleagues who handle international calls, she said, and often overhears co-workers tell callers that actions will take 15 to 30 business days to process. She attributed the slowdown to mismanagement driven in part by DOGE, which slashed the agency's staff, hampered its ability to spend and driven down efficiency by enacting massive staff reorganizations. 'Them removing that type of data off the website about processing times doesn't surprise me, because we're so behind on things being processed,' the employee said. 'It's really a mess right now, everything is so far backed up.' The agency took down the data performance page on June 6 and replaced it with a message that the website was under maintenance until Monday, according to Internet Archive records compiled by the Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of unions, and independently verified by The Washington Post. The altered page was then published with fewer statistics and with the added language about using the online portal. 'The fastest way for customers to get service is through my Social Security, which gives you immediate access to important information and tools, putting you in control of your time,' the new website reads. The page also says that the wait time to access online services is '0 minutes' and lists the number of transactions completed online, the count of customers who got replacement cards through the website and the percent of customers who filed for retirement benefits online. The website also says 'if you are thinking of calling us' there's a list of actions you can complete online without having to make the call. Kathryn Locatell, a 68-year-old in Placerville, California, whose 73-year-old husband receives Social Security payments, scoffed at the webpage's updated suggestion that applicants should forgo phone calls in favor of an online portal. She noted that her town is filled with elderly people who do not use smartphones, some of whom cannot even access the internet. When Locatell has visited her local Social Security office, she said she found it filled with older men and women who often wait hours to be seen. 'It's sad,' she said. 'Using an online portal just isn't going to happen in this community … I know it from my personal experience. My husband doesn't use the internet at all.' Across the country in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 76-year-old Joan Garnett, for whom Social Security payments are the primary form of income, was also struggling to understand why the agency would revise its website. She, too, thinks it unrealistic that elderly people will be able to use the portal. And she finds it disturbing that Social Security would take down data on its own performance serving customers. 'The government should be transparent in how they function,' she said. 'If you can't check on things, how do you know it's functioning right?'
