State should protect city from crematory pollution
As The Baltimore Sun summarized (“Oral arguments slated for March in appeal over proposed crematory on York Road in North Baltimore,”
Dec. 14), citizens along the York Road corridor have been trying to have their concerns about air quality in their neighborhood heard for three years.
Because of environmental concerns, the York Road Partnership and other parties have been opposing a crematory proposed by the Vaughn Greene Funeral Home.
No matter what it’s called, a crematory is an incinerator. Aware of the dangers posed by existing incinerators, the Baltimore City Council has passed a law prohibiting the use of new incinerators within the city limits.
Nevertheless, the zoning board granted permission claiming that a crematory is not an incinerator.
The community appealed this decision to the Circuit Court and failed. It seems that both the zoning board and the Circuit Court have made the absurd argument that because the community surrounding Vaughn Greene is already subject to air pollution a little more won’t hurt.
Tell that to Cindy Camp, one of the residents involved, whose grandchild suffers from asthma, as do a large number of other children who live in the surrounding community, part of the “Black Butterfly.”
Recently, representatives of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) held a community meeting where they heard from many residents who oppose a crematorium in this densely populated residential area, which already has high levels of air pollution.
It seemed clear that MDE had already determined that they would grant a permit with conditions to Vaughan Greene.
However, as more than one community member pointed out, there is no mechanism in place to enforce these conditions.
The situation calls to mind another recent article (“South Baltimore medical waste incinerator to pay one of largest environmental fines in Maryland history,” Oct. 17) about the hefty fine paid by Curtis Bay Energy.
The fine, one of the largest in a criminal environmental case in Maryland’s history, followed an investigation by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office into egregious waste handling practices.
However, online U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records reveal this incinerator also had a history of air quality violations, racking up over 70 notices of violations and multiple failed emissions tests for mercury, lead, hydrochloric acid and particulate matter over the last 30 years.
Clearly, the MDE did not protect the citizens of South Baltimore from environmental hazards during all this time.
It seems likely that MDE will fail the citizens of Baltimore once again. We hope that our latest appeal will finally result in environmental justice for the community.