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CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Maryland sets stricter coal dust control rules for CSX terminal in Curtis Bay with new permit
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has issued a new permit requiring CSX Transportation to surround its South Baltimore rail terminal with a windscreen taller than its coal piles, aiming to reduce coal dust blowing into the Curtis Bay neighborhood. CSX must notify and seek approval from the MDE regarding the type of windscreen that will be used within 120 days, according to the permit. The windscreen must be completed and placed in operation within 18 months of MDE's approval. "We are holding CSX to a higher standard by requiring an enclosure to control dust — a critical step to protect the health of the surrounding community," Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a statement. "This is the most protective permit ever issued for this site, reflecting our commitment to environmental justice." The permit also outlines measures to control dust emissions from various sources at the facility, including roadways, railcar unloading, material storage piles, material conveying, and ship loadout. Those measures include flushing road surfaces with water and using sweeper trucks, covering conveyors used to transport materials that can emit dust, and restricting the weight of vehicles traveling on unpaved roadways. CSX's previous permit, which was issued in October 2018, was set to expire in September 2023. But an explosion at the coal piers in 2021, which coated the Curtis Bay neighborhood in dust, drew renewed public attention and increased opposition to coal operations at the site. The incident prompted MDE to extend the public comment period for the new permit. In September 2024, CSX settled a class-action lawsuit for $1.75 million over the explosion. Further delays came after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024. According to the Baltimore Banner, CSX already has a windscreen on the southern edge of its South Baltimore property. The terminal is one of several locations monitored in a recent report by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study, which tracked air quality from July 2022 to July 2023, used 10 monitoring sites around Curtis Bay and a camera to track bulldozer activity at CSX's Curtis Bay Piers terminal. Researchers found the highest levels of air pollutants, including particulate matter and black carbon, occurred during periods of bulldozer activity combined with wind blowing from the terminal. The findings echo years of complaints from Curtis Bay residents, who have long expressed concerns about coal dust and industrial pollution in the area. The neighborhood, located directly west of the coal terminal, is surrounded by heavy industrial activity and diesel traffic from trucks, trains and ships. In September 2024, CSX settled a class-action lawsuit for $1.75 million over the 2021 coal dust explosion. Then in November 2024, residents urged MDE to reject CSX's permit renewal. However, an MDE spokesperson said that while the department can enforce operational restrictions, it does not have the authority to shut down the terminal.
CBS News
22-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Maryland disputes EPA's claim of errors in wind energy project permit
In a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey, regional administrator for the Maryland Department of the Environment, insisted that there were no issues with a permit for a Maryland wind energy project. The response comes after the EPA last week said it found errors with the MDE's decision to issue a permit to U.S. Wind, the Maryland-based developer of an offshore wind project. In a letter to the MDE last week, the EPA said the project permit isn't valid because the MDE incorrectly stated that appeals to the permit should be filed under Maryland's state process instead of the federal process required by EPA regulations. But Blarcom-Lackey disputed the claim. "I would like to clarify that Maryland has been issuing permits under EPA-delegated or EPA-approved authority under the Clean Air Act for decades," Blarcom-Lackey wrote. "Long-settled procedure dictates that state-issued permits are appealed under State law, not Federal law. MDE adhered to both State and Federal law and precedent when issuing this permit and designating state law as the appropriate venue for permit appeals." She added that Maryland met the requirements needed to demonstrate that it has adequate authority under federal regulations to implement and enforce the permit program, including the proper procedures for handling appeals. In the EPA's letter last week, the department said the MDE must clarify that the permit was issued under federal code and remove incorrect appeal instructions from the permit itself and from its website. Blarcom-Lackey says MDE won't be modifying its permit decision to include the EPA's requested language. She also said that the information regarding the appeals process on the MDE's website was originally included at the EPA's request — but has now been removed as requested. The Maryland-based energy company U.S. Wind received its construction permit for the major offshore wind project in December. The construction plan includes building 114 wind turbines off the coast of Ocean City, which would generate up to 2 gigawatts ("GW") of offshore wind power and power more than 718,000 homes in the region. It would also include up to four offshore export cables that run from the lease area to the shore, a meteorological tower, and offshore export cable corridors. The goal of the project is to help supply the increased demand in the energy industry, according to U.S. Wind. The project is the 10th commercial offshore wind project nationwide. In addition to the turbines, U.S. Wind also plans to establish a new production facility, Sparrows Point Steel, at the former site of Bethlehem Steel in Baltimore County.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's EPA flags a problem with offshore wind permit issued by Maryland
A test wind turbine for Dominion's Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. (Photo by Charlie Paullin/Virginia Mercury) Federal officials are calling on the state to reissue a permit for a wind farm planned off the Ocean City coast, to correct what they say is an error in the original document. In a July 7 letter to the Maryland Department of the Environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took issue with the process that MDE laid out to appeal the final construction permit awarded to US Wind. The state said any challenge to the state permit would have to go through state courts, but EPA Region 3 Administrator Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey said that any appeal would have to be filed with the clerk of the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board. 'Failure to rectify this error could result in invalidation of the permit on appeal and confusion among relevant stakeholders with respect to where to bring such an appeal,' Blarcom-Lackey wrote. MDE spokesperson Jay Apperson said in a statement that the agency is reviewing Blarcom-Lackey's letter and is 'committed to ensuring all our permit processes are transparent and in accordance with the law.' An official with US Wind said the company is 'confident that all of our project's permits were validly issued.' At issue is the permit issued last month by MDE's Air and Radiation Administration, which found that 'the proposed construction and commissioning of the offshore wind project would not cause violations of any applicable air pollution control regulations.' It's one of the final permits for the US Wind project, which has been in the works for about a decade, and is closest to construction of any offshore wind farm planned for Maryland's coast. Maryland gives go-ahead to permit allowing offshore wind farm to move forward The US Wind project received a critical approval from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in December, at the tail end of President Joe Biden's administration. The federal government leased the area for the project to Baltimore-based US Wind in 2014. The feds have leased other areas near the coast of Ocean City and the nearby Delaware beaches to Danish company Ørsted and, most recently, to Norwegian company Equinor. US Wind's application called for up to 121 turbines, up to four offshore substations and one meteorological tower, all about 10 nautical miles from the Ocean City shoreline — a prospect that has enraged some locals and politicians in the beach town, who have pointed to the view from shore of the wind farm, and its impacts on wildlife. The Town of Ocean City has an ongoing lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior for issuing its approval for US Wind. Like all offshore wind projects, US Wind is facing an uncertain environment under President Donald Trump (R), a vocal critic of the industry. Shortly after he took office, Trump issued an executive order halting new offshore wind leasing in federal waters, and new project approvals from the federal government. In April, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered one offshore wind project off the coast of New York to halt construction, citing deficiencies in the BOEM permit that had allowed construction to begin. But in May, the Trump administration reversed course and allowed the project to keep moving forward. Interestingly, MDE's webpage about the Ocean City project seems to contradict Blarcom-Lackey's letter about the appeals process. The page was updated to exclude mentions of an appeal process through the EPA, which had previously been included. 'The appeals process for this permit is through the State of Maryland only, and the language describing the U.S. EPA appeals process has been removed,' reads the webpage. Apperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the webpage. In a statement, US Wind's vice president of external affairs, Nancy Sopko, said that the company is confident the project's paperwork is proper and is 'very committed to delivering this important energy project to the region.' 'The state needs all the new sources of electricity we can build in order to keep prices affordable for homes and businesses,' Sopko wrote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland fires back against EPA claims about its offshore wind permit
An Ørsted wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island. The company also has a lease off the Delmarva coast, but is not nearly as far along in the permit-approval process as US Wind. (Photo courtesy of Ørsted) The Maryland Department of the Environment is defending the permit it issued to a wind farm proposed off the coast of Ocean City, after a challenge from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Thursday letter from Maryland Secretary of the Environment Serena McIlwain also said the state would not be reissuing the permit, as the EPA requested, because the state had not made a mistake that needed correcting. The EPA had contended that when Maryland issued the permit to Baltimore-based company US Wind, it identified the wrong process for citizens to file appeals. Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey, EPA administrator for Region 3, which includes Maryland and other mid-Atlantic states, contended in a July 7 letter that any appeals challenging the air pollution permit issued to US Wind should be filed to the clerk of the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board. But Maryland argues that its permit would need to be appealed through the state courts, which would involve filing a challenge at the appropriate circuit court — in this case in Worcester County. Notably, the due date for a state court challenge has already passed. It was set for July 14 — about a month after MDE issued the permit, according to MDE's website. 'Long-settled procedure dictates that state-issued permits are appealed under State law, not Federal law,' McIlwain's letter says. Trump's EPA flags a problem with offshore wind permit issued by Maryland That letter also cites written decisions issued by the EPA's appeals board, including one that stated that the board 'lacked jurisdiction' to evaluate this type of permit. 'MDE will not re-issue the permit and will continue to follow the proper state procedures to consider appeals,' McIlwain concluded, near the end of the roughly two-page letter. A request for comment from the EPA was not immediately returned Friday. The MDE website for the US Wind project originally referenced both the state appeals procedure and the EPA process, but McIlwain said that information had been 'included at EPA's request. It has been removed, and language has been added clarifying that the Federal appeals process does not apply.' Authority to issue Clean Air Act permits like the one for US Wind is delegated to the state from the EPA — the basis of the federal agency's claim for jurisdiction for appeals. That authority, specifically for permits on the outer continental shelf, was re-certified in early 2024 under the Biden administration. The US Wind project, which is planned about 10 miles from Ocean City's shoreline, is the wind project that is closest to construction in this region. The company, which leased the area in 2014, received a key permit from President Joe Biden's (D) Department of the Interior at the end of 2024. Final buildout of the project is still years away, but it calls for construction of 121 wind turbines, up to four offshore substations and one meteorological tower, according to the state's website. When complete, the project could generate 2,200 megawatts of energy, enough to power up to 718,000 homes, according to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Practically since its inception, the project has faced fierce opposition from local officials in the resort town, who cite concerns that beachgoers would lose a pristine ocean view if the turbines were visible from shore. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Since President Donald Trump (R) took office for his second term, offshore wind projects have landed in his crosshairs. Earlier this week, Trump announced that wind and solar projects would undergo increased scrutiny under his administration. Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' also rescinds tax credits for renewable energy projects that do not begin construction by next July. In April, Trump appointed Blarcom-Lackey to lead the EPA's Mid-Atlantic office. She succeeded Marylander Adam Ortiz, who moved to a deputy secretary role at MDE. Two other companies have offshore leases in the vicinity of Ocean City and the Delaware beaches — Ørsted and Equinor. While Ørsted received its first lease area around the same time as US Wind, Equinor won its auction last year. Neither project have received its federal permits from the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
$5.2 million in funding approved for flood management projects in Maryland
Maryland's Department of Public Works approved $241 million for projects in the state Wednesday, including $5.2 million for flood management efforts. The department also approved $7.5 million to support the construction of a new hotel and conference center in Frederick. Nearly $31 million in grants were allocated for projects in seven counties and Baltimore City, and $25 million was given to minority-owned and small businesses. The funding for flood management projects was granted after requests from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), the board said. The money will be used to help alert local governments to potential flooding and reduce runoff after heavy rain. The approval comes after a deadly flooding event in central Texas killed more than 130 people. Nearly 100 people are still missing two weeks later. Some Texas residents reported that they did not receive emergency alerts as the flooding got more severe. However, CBS News reported that 22 warnings were issued by the National Weather Service during the storms and flash flooding. In approving the request, Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman emphasized the need for investments in state infrastructure, especially in flood-prone areas. "As a former Texas resident for a few years, it is absolutely devastating to watch what happened there," she said. "We are not immune in Maryland to that type of flooding that we saw happen there." The funding also comes after severe flooding events in Maryland. On July 14, torrential rain prompted a historic Howard County city to shut down its Main Street. "Close to home, just in the last week, officials ordered the shutdown of Main Street [in Ellicott City] not once, but twice as a result of significant rain-producing events," Lierman said. The Ellicott City area experienced deadly flooding events in recent years, including in 2011, 2016 and 2018. In May, heavy rain caused flooding in Allegany and Garrett counties, affecting about 200 homes and prompting rescue efforts. The governor's office requested that the White House issue a Presidential Disaster Declaration after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determined that recovery could cost $15.8 million. The state has made progress in its flood prevention efforts. After the flooding in historic Ellicott City, its Safe and Sound Plan was credited with helping prevent significant flooding. The state Department of Natural Resources recently launched a new map that allows residents to track potential flooding in their communities.
