Howard County hearing draws residents and W.R. Grace employees over proposed plastics pilot; council hears dueling testimony

Dozens of speakers packed a continued Howard County Council legislative public hearing and gave competing testimony over CB 11-20-25 and ZRA 2-11, a proposed zoning change tied to W.R. Grace’s plan for a small pilot facility on its Columbia campus near the Cedar Creek development.

Residents from Cedar Creek and neighboring villages pressed the council to approve the bill, saying the proposed pilot would be too close to homes and risk air pollution, fires or explosions. "Imagine waking up every day knowing that the air you are breathing in is slowly killing you," said Helen Jung, a River Hill High School student who testified she lives in Cedar Creek.

The crowd included many parents, physicians and local residents who said the pilot’s vents and thermal oxidizer — described in hearings as operating up to 16 hours a day, five days a week, 50 weeks a year — would place hazardous emissions within what neighbors said is about 70 meters of some houses. "This incinerator is intended to be built 200 feet from our homes," said Shamika Preston, who cited MDE and EPA communications and a petition she said had more than 700 signatures opposing the project.

Why it matters: The bill and zoning amendment would restrict research and development uses involving plastics in the PEC zoning district, effectively preventing the proposed pilot at this site if adopted. Neighbors said the parcel was sold by W.R. Grace for residential development and that the company later sought the permit to operate what state agencies described in correspondence as an incineration-style process.

W.R. Grace employees and supporters told the council the company’s proposal is a small-scale R&D pilot, not a commercial incinerator, and that the campus has operated in Columbia for decades. "We are not burning plastic waste of any kind," said Rob Harding, a longtime Grace scientist. He and several other Grace employees described the pilot as bench- or pilot-scale research designed to produce gases and liquids to be handled offsite and said the company plans to use a flameless thermal oxidizer they described as best-available-control technology.

Grace employees described safety practices and regulatory filings with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Scott Purnell, who identified himself as vice president of research and development, said the pilot was designed with standard engineering controls and that the company’s tests would gather data needed before any commercial scale-up. "If I were starting my family all over again, I wouldn't hesitate to move my family and raise my children in Cedar Creek," Purnell said.

Residents and public-interest groups countered with health and safety concerns and a record of contamination tied to earlier Grace sites. Speakers cited a discrepancy they said they found between reported VOC emissions — one figure in a permit filing of "0.218 pounds per day" and a web listing of "218 pounds per day" — and raised alarm about the company’s historical cleanup liabilities. "Grace has a proven track record of harm," said Anwar Hassan, an environmental professional who lives in Cedar Creek. Several public-health witnesses including physicians and public-interest groups urged the council to block the project with ZRA 2-11/CB 11-20-25.

Process and next steps: The hearing proceeded as a public-comment record; the transcript does not show a council vote or formal action on the bill during the session. Council members asked for technical data and written materials from Grace and staff. At least one council member asked Grace to provide numbers and documentation electronically for review.

What the council heard about community outreach: Multiple residents and council members told the hearing they had received little or late direct notification from Grace. Sharon Nuremberg, who identified herself as W.R. Grace vice president of communications, said the company had followed the MDE permitting process and would work on community engagement but acknowledged opportunities to improve outreach.

Closing appeals: Testimony ended with repeated appeals from neighbors that the company move pilot operations away from residential areas and from Grace employees that the zoning amendment would stifle innovation at a long-present employer. "I urge you to vote for CB 11," said Daryl Pines near the end of the public record.

No vote or final action was recorded in the transcript from this hearing.