Big news for South Baltimore, mateys. Curtis Bay Energy — one of the largest medical waste incinerators in the country — will stop incinerating medical waste at its South Baltimore site under a settlement with the Maryland Department of the Environment, announced October 2.
The settlement resolves an MDE lawsuit charging the company with repeated air pollution violations. Under the proposed consent decree, filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court, the site will continue operating as a medical waste transfer station, but at sharply reduced levels: its current permit allows up to 62,050 tons of waste a year and burning as much as 150 tons a day; that would be cut to no more than 20,000 tons a year, with no incineration at all.
The company also agreed to pay $600,000 in penalties, divided between MDE’s clean water fund and its clean air fund. If there are any pollution violations while the shift away from incineration is underway, the company agrees to pay $5,000 to $7,000 per day per violation.
“This a major win for a community overburdened by pollution,” Maryland Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said. A breath of fresher air is on the horizon for Brooklyn and Curtis Bay. Sources: Radio Free Hub City: Curtis Bay Energy will end incineration of medical waste under agreement with state (original reporting by Maryland Matters)