Tag: Conowingo Dam
Lawmakers, clean-water advocates team up to oppose Conowingo pact
The emergency legislation would prohibit Maryland from waiving a water-quality certification in a settlement agreement between the state and the energy company Exelon for a 50-year federal license to operate the dam.
Read More
State Roundup, February 14, 2020
Prosecutors recommend nearly five years of jail in bombshell memorandum; includes Pugh’s business ties to city comptroller; GOP lawmakers offer education proposals; spousal rape defense debated; opinion piece on judicial elections; environmental groups oppose Conowingo Dam deal; lifetime supervision for sex offenders proposed; medical marijuana ban in jails discussed for third time; deadly assault spurs hate crime bill; more mental health training for police proposed; Frederick priorities for transportation set for U.S. 15; bill proposes parental consent for birth control after teen gets implant at school; Allegany debates if slots money should go to scholarships or emergency services
Read More
Environmentalists, Shore officials oppose Conowingo settlement
Environmental groups and some rural Maryland officials are calling on federal regulators to reject the deal that the state has reached with the owner of the Conowingo Dam to address the harm the hydropower facility has caused to the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay. Spurred by that opposition, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers is making a bid to block the agreement through legislation.
Read More
Washed away? Torrential rains threaten Bay restoration gains
Scientists are waiting to see if recent progress will help the Chesapeake more easily bounce back from July storms.
Read More
Energy bill strips Md.’s rights on Conowingo dam
An energy bill moving through Congress could strip Maryland of its rights under the Clean Water Act to require a permit for Exelon Energy Corporation to operate the Conowingo Dam, which discharges 40% of all the nutrient and sediment pollution into the Chesapeake Bay from the Susquehanna River.
Read MoreConowingo dam dirt continuing problem for the bay
A 14-mile reservoir behind the Conowingo hydroelectric generating dam in northern Maryland stops two million pounds of sediment every year from flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. But another one million pounds get through, burying underwater grasses that support sea life and adding to the bay’s myriad pollution problems.
The reservoir that stores the sediment is expected to reach capacity within 20 years, after which all of the sediment will get through the dam, putting the bay’s health further at risk. The dam’s owner, the state and environmental groups are seeking solutions to the problem.
Recent Comments