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Friday, March 28, 2014

Critical WTE facts not reaching public

Frederick County government officials Commissioner Blaine Young and Special Projects Officer Mike Marschner continue to tell only part of the story about incinerator finances.

The complete truth is the county will pay the Authority for the bonds and the Authority will use our money to pay off the bonds.

County officials also do not discuss the system benefit charge that appears on residents’ real estate tax bills. The SBC is a significant source of funding for the incinerator. The incinerator in Montgomery County loses millions every year, which is made up by SBC payments from residents. The SBC payments cover about 70 percent of the cost of the Montgomery County incinerator.

They both assert that the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority is on the hook for the revenue bonds. This assertion is true. However, they both fail to mention the Energy Recovery Fee, which by contract obligates the county to pay the Authority for debt service, among other things. (Source: pages 11 and 12 of Energy Recovery Agreement, dated July 29, 2009, between Frederick County and the Authority.)

More


UPDATE:

The last lines in the article above about Maryland waste authority mention a firm called wheelbrator who the authority has to pay.. I googled them and found they build incinerators all over the place and have paid millions in settlements for polluting the environment.

http://www.no-burn.org/wheelabrator-oks-settlement-of-75-million

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED WICOMICO COUNTY.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

...Not unless Wicomico County Officials choose to read this blog will they have been warned. Best bet is for you to phone, email and write a letter to all the decision makers. Also have your viewers contact members and give them this information, by calling, writing and appearing in person at Council meetings.

If voters and/or taxpayers do not contact persons involved in the decision making than voters and/or taxpayers are part of the problem. Do not depend on changes being made because of a few sentences written here. It has not happened in the past, nor will it in the future unless the citizens actually make their voices heard at Council meetings, plus letters, email or phone calls.

You folks need to think about information Joe gives you, stop writing trashy remarks about the decision makers on this blog, get off your butts and help make changes if you care.

lmclain said...

10:38....do you REALLY think they (our "representatives") and their minions, who DAILY, make decisions that spend millions, change regulations, and write policy give a crap about what you think? How you feel about anything? How many times do they need to openly thumb their nose at you before you realize the truth? Dozens of thousands personally showed up at the State House to voice their displeasure at proposed gun laws. About 20 people showed up to say they liked the new laws. You KNOW what happened, right. What usually happens --- they did whatever they wanted.
Go ahead and write some more letters. Show up at the Council meetings and voice your opinion.
Let us know how that works out.....
The only solution that will work now is the public hanging of ALL those slimy, bribe taking, lying, cheating thieves. Nothing says "we're fed up" more than seeing your fellow "representatives' dangling from a lamp post. While you have to watch and wait your turn....

Anonymous said...

I sent this information to Matt Holloway and he is a big supporter of this idea. Didn't hear squat from Stevie, Gail said she would share it with the other members and only Bob Culver bothered to call me to discuss. And he said he's not in favor of it. Tricky Ricky never called me back.
1.The proposed WTE Incinerator plans are based on financial, technological, and environmental assumptions that are inaccurate, out of date, misleading, or false.
2.The Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority (Authority) plans to borrow approximately $500 million to construct the plant. Repayment is guaranteed by your system benefit charge (SBC) on your property tax bill.
3.The plant will cost millions to operate which are guaranteed by contract to increase approximately 3% per year and will be billed to county taxpayers via System Benefit Charge.
4.Frederick County long hauled 157,000 tons of trash in 2011. Frederick as host County will have to dispose of 151,000 tons of ash resulting from trash imported from other jurisdictions. Frederick County will still need a landfill to bury the ash either in county or long haul it to another landfill.
5.The Authority assumes annual income from electricity sales of $33.2 million based on selling the power at $87.38 per megawatt hour (MWh). Currently the wholesale price of electricity is less than half that amount and decreasing (Wall Street Journal April 10, 2012). Revenue shortfalls will increase the Service Benefit Charge on your property tax bill.
6.Frederick County has not announced even one county signed up to provide trash to the incinerator and appears to be losing Carroll County as a partner. Since all revenue assumptions are based on a plant at full capacity, volume shortages will cause the net cost to increase which taxpayers will pay for via System Benefit Charges.
7.The incinerator contractor is seeking permits to burn up to 40 million pounds of tires per year, emit up to 90 pounds of mercury per year, and discharge 400,000 gallons of contaminated waste water per day into the Potomac River. This pollution will continue every year for thirty years.
8.At full capacity, the incinerator will emit 10 million pounds of particulate matter per year, including mercury, lead and dioxin. These emissions are in very small particles that can lead to serious health problems and environmental damage as they accumulate and persist in the air, water, land and our bodies.
9.The incinerator will be located within 3 miles of 7 schools and 4 daycare facilities exposing thousands of children to the emissions noted above.
10.Alternatives are available for solid waste disposal that cost less than incineration and are better for the environment. These alternatives include recycling, reuse, and composting.

Anonymous said...

If everyone would recycle there would not be a problem with landfill capacity...but that would require people to actually put forth an effort.