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Residents press council to block biorefinery on Atkins/Hickory Mill Road; planning issues, stop-work order and appeal advance
Summary
Dozens of residents urged the Wicomico County Council to halt a proposed bio-refinery on Atkins/Hickory Mill Road, citing health, groundwater and permit concerns; planning staff issued a stop-work order and the applicant has appealed to the Board of Appeals with a hearing set for March 27.
Dozens of residents from neighborhoods near Atkins Road and Hickory Mill Road told the Wicomico County Council on March 4 they oppose a proposed biorefinery and asked the council to intervene. Residents described odors, health concerns, proximity to wells and past problems at an earlier project the applicant pursued in Willards.
Multiple speakers said the facility is less than 200 feet from adjacent homes and that private wells are close to the property. Julia Tallent, who said her home sits less than 200 feet from the site, told the council: “My well is only, like, 25 feet from the boundary line.” Another speaker, Timothy Cox, a disabled veteran, said he feared additional airborne pollutants and truck traffic would worsen his breathing problems.
Planning staff and code officials told the council that, after investigating the…
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