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Residents and environmental groups back county stop-work order for proposed Hickory Mill biorefinery
Summary
Representatives of the Wicomico Environmental Trust and Friends of the Nanticoke River urged the council to support a stop-work order for a proposed biorefinery at Hickory Mill/Slash Atkins Road, saying the project appears industrial and improperly sited and that some state permits were transferred without local notice.
Speakers representing the Wicomico Environmental Trust and Friends of the Nanticoke River urged the council on March 18 to back a county stop-work order and to ensure proper permitting and local review for a proposed biorefinery facility near Hickory Mill and Slash Atkins Road.
Carol Donahue, speaking for the environmental groups, said the organizations support sustainable processing of organic matter when facilities are designed and operated to protect public and environmental health, and when they are properly sited and permitted under county zoning and state and federal law. "We do support sustainable methods of processing organic matter as long as they're designed and operated in a manner that protects public and environmental health," Donahue said.
Donahue told the council the application’s original characterization of the structure as "farm storage" was inaccurate for what she described as an industrial operation and argued that the site is in an agricultural and residential zone. She said permits issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) for a similar facility at a different location in the county were transferred to the new site without notice to county officials or residents; Donahue said county building- and use-permit review is still required for the new site and she supported the planning department's stop-work action. She also noted a planning-department hearing scheduled for March 27.
A second resident speaker also backed the environmental trust’s comments and urged more transparency and sustained public meetings from the executive branch, arguing that without regular public briefings residents are blindsided by decisions and agreements such as memoranda of understanding. That speaker said they had filed Public Information Act (PIA) requests after being denied direct answers and were told the PIA could cost several hundred dollars to process.
Ending: The planning department's stop-work order for the Hickory Mill site remains scheduled for further review; the council heard the public comments and public-department schedule but did not take formal action at this meeting. A planning hearing was scheduled for March 27.
