GOOD NEWS

This morning the Wicomico County Council held a public hearing on Legislative Bill No. 2020-13 and then unanimously voted to pass the bill. This act will extend the current moratorium on the issuance of building permits for tanks for the purpose of storing DAF. This is good news for those in the county who have been worried a tank, similar to the one on Porter Mill Road, could soon be green-lighted for their community. On the other hand, it does not affect the tank already in use on Porter Mill or otherwise impose new regulations on it.

During the moratorium we hope the Council will study the negative effects the tank has already had on the community around it and will either act to remove it, or to set up regulations that address the odor, heavy tanker traffic and possible health problems to humans and the environment. NAG and other groups like Friends of the Nanticoke, and the Wicomico Environmental Trust (WET) continue to engage the Council with our complaints against what we believe to be an industrial site masquerading as an agriculture operation.

NAG welcomed the comments from the representative from WET. Here is the text of the address presented before the Council today during the public comments period:

"I am Madeleine Adams of Salisbury, appearing today on the behalf of the Wicomico Environmental Trust (WET) as president-elect of its board of directors. WET supports the proposed extension of the moratorium on granting permits to build DAF storage tanks in Wicomico County. 

Furthermore, WET urges the Council to use the breathing room offered by the moratorium to expand the permitting process to incorporate consideration of public and environmental health.

Currently, there appears to be on mechanism for Zoning staff or other County officials to review projects proposed for agricultural land for public health and environmental health risks. As the size of proposed projects has grown to massive scale, the risks to the health of neighboring residents and to air, land, and water quality in the county have become extremely serious.

The County government and the public bearu the potentially huge liability for mitigating the harm to public health and environmental health caused by failure of these massive facilities, or sometimes even by their normal operation.

WET therefore urges the County to use the time afforded by an extension of the moratorium on permitting of DAF storage tanks to address this potentially huge liability and to incorporate into the permitting process consideration of public health and environmental health. Thank you for your consideration of WET's opinion.

We still need help paying legal fees and would appreciate any amount you can spare. Contributions to the Neighborhood Action Group should be sent to:
NAG

24790 Porter Mill Road

Hebron MD 21830
All contributions will remain anonymous and our books are open to show how we spend your money.