Editable-Baltimore's Fair Development Plan for Zero Waste - Flipbook - Page 15
South Baltimore is dominated by toxic industries – trash, medical waste, animal incinerators – along with
a range of other industrial polluters. Residents of neighborhoods surrounding the incinerator have a
lower life expectancy than those from neighborhoods only a few miles away. The concentration of
pollution in this one region has compounding effects: poverty that comes from disinvestment, poor
housing quality, and lack of adequate health care. On average, Curtis Bay residents live 15 years less than
residents of wealthier white neighborhoods like Roland Park.6 One of the biggest indicators of residents’
respiratory health is the city’s asthma rate, which doubles the rate across the state of Maryland and
nearly triples the national average. Baltimore’s asthma hospitalization rate is 40%, the state is at 18% and
the nation as a whole 14%.7
BRESCO is a major contributor to the climate crisis as well:
Incinerators emit more CO2 per megawatt-hour than coal-fired, natural-gas-fired, or oil-fired
power plants and also emit nitrous oxide… Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas that is
approximately 300 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere…
Significantly decreasing waste disposed in landfills and incinerators will reduce greenhouse gas
emissions the equivalent to closing 21% of U.S. coal-fired power plants. This is comparable to
leading climate protection proposals such as improving national vehicle fuel efficiency.8
Baltimore needs environmentally sustainable methods for generating energy, not incineration. By
adopting this Plan, Baltimore will become a leader in the nation as well as across the state of Maryland,
where we are already seeing the negative impacts of the climate crisis.
With the adoption of the Baltimore Clean Air Act and Governor Hogan's Clean and Renewable Energy
Standard (CARES) strategy, it is urgent to plan for the close of BRESCO. The incinerator could be forced to
discontinue operations as soon as September 2020, as it will likely not be able to meet the new
emissions standards set by the Baltimore Clean Air Act and could have its renewable energy tax
incentives withdrawn this year. Last year Detroit’s incinerator closed abruptly due to new regulations and
the threat of litigation; the city had to respond overnight to this abrupt closure to send waste to landfills
30 miles away. Detroit did not create a contingency plan to transition away from incineration. Baltimore
needs to plan now and not be caught by surprise when BRESCO closes down.
Baltimore’s Fair Development Plan for Zero Waste
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