Baltimore air polluter fumbles, and kids score one for their hard-hit community

[xchrom]

http://grist.org/cities/baltimore-air-polluter-fumbles-and-kids-score-one-for-their-hard-hit-community/

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After close to three years of youth-led organizing against a massive incinerator planned for their South Baltimore Fairfield neighborhood, the young activists got their first taste of victory recently, when the state of Maryland ordered Energy Answers International, the company building the incinerator, to stop construction on the project.

Assistant Attorney General Roberta R. James sent a letter to Energy Answers on June 20 alerting the company that it was in violation of the state’s air pollution control laws and regulations. Specifically, the incinerator company failed to purchase offsets for the hundreds of tons of toxic air pollutants the incinerator will emit when it gets up and running, which many in the Fairfield community hope won’t happen.

The offsets — a company’s agreement to pay another company to clean up its emissions so that it can keep polluting — are mandatory under Energy Answers’ permit provisions. The company was required to begin buying offsets when it started construction last year.

But Sasol North America, Inc., one of the companies the offsets are banked off of, reported Energy Answers to state authorities when it failed to fulfill its obligations. The state is seeking $25,000 per violation for every day that Energy Answers has been delinquent, which could add up to $8 million, according to Baltimore Brew.

[chervilant]

1. Good on those younglings!

Great to witness their successful activism!

[tularetom]

2. Looks like a temporary win to me

If the company buys the offsets and negotiates the fines, seems like the project would be back on track.

Hopefully the kids have some other weapons in their arsenal.