Green Hypocrisy. The Case Of Baltimore's Bresco Waste-To-Energy Incinerator

Authored by Geoffrey Pohanka via RealClearEnergy,

One definition of hypocrisy is pretending to have beliefs, values, or virtues that your actions do not match. In simple terms, it means saying one thing and doing another.

On June 4th, 2024, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed executive order 01.01.2024.19, Implementing Maryland's Climate Pollution Reduction Plan. It stated Climate change poses an existential threat to the economy, natural resources, and public health for every Maryland resident. Maryland communities, particularly historically marginalized and overburdened communities, are disproportionately impacted by climate change. Maryland's Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 set ambitious climate goals for the State, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60% by 2031 and obtaining net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. The Climate Pollution Reduction Plan estimates that the implementation of new climate policies will generate up to $1.2 billion in public health benefits, $2.5 billion increase in personal income for Marylanders, and a net gain of 27,400 jobs between now and 2031.

Clearly an ambitious plan to take on climate change that some describe as the greatest single threat to human existence. But how serious are the green advocates in Annapolis in taking on one of the single largest CO2 emitters in the state, and one that can't possibly be missed while driving the interstate through Baltimore.

I am talking about that large smokestack along I-95 in downtown Baltimore. This is the Bresco waste incinerator, the waste-to-energy plant that burns up to 2,250 tons of Baltimore's municipal trash every day. The Bresco incinerator is the 10th largest incinerator in the country, the largest single polluter in the city, and accounts for 36% of its total air emissions. Bresco's one smokestack emits more NOx into Baltimore's air than ever other stationary industrial source in the city combined, some 75% of the total releases. It is also one of the largest NOx emitters in the state. The NOx emissions are so large that closing the facility would be equal to taking over half the cars off Baltimore's roads. Every year, the incinerator emits more sulfur dioxide into Baltimore's air than all the cars and trucks on the road eight times over. It is also the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions, releasing 690,033 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Lead emissions have totaled over 10,000 pounds since the plant began operations in 1985. The plant emits between 60 and 120 pounds of airborne mercury annually. This is over 30 times more mercury emissions per unit of energy produced than regional coal plants.

Maryland is a member of RGGI, the regional greenhouse gas initiative, that caps and taxes CO2 emissions from fossil fuel power plants. According to a Baltimore Sun article, RGGI is equivalent to a 44% tax on fossil fuel power plant revenues and has, at least indirectly, caused most of the State's coal power plants to become uneconomic to operate and voluntarily close. Though the plant does generate usable steam for heating and cooling of 255 downtown businesses and electricity for up to 40,000 homes, the Bresco incinerator emits roughly double the amount of greenhouse gases per megawatt hour of energy produced than each of the largest coal power plants that had operated in Maryland.

One important goal of Maryland's Climate Pollution Reduction Plan is to protect historically marginalized and disproportionately impacted populations from pollution. Yet 114,000 people living just a few miles from the incinerator, are exposed to its pollution daily. In a clear case of environmental injustice, Baltimore's most economically and socially vulnerable neighborhoods are more affected by air pollution from sources like Bresco than Baltimore's wealthy neighborhoods. Bresco is located in South Baltimore among predominantly low-income and Black communities. The combination of emissions from Bresco and local vehicle traffic have proven to be a toxic mix. South Baltimore is unfortunately home to some of the most polluted air in Baltimore City. As a result of this, South Baltimore has the highest hospitalization rates for asthma. The communities closest to Bresco also suffer from lower life expectancies. This all means that the communities Bresco affects most directly are also the communities least able to manage the health damages that Bresco causes. A report determined that the Bresco incinerator was responsible for $55 million in health problems a year for people living near it.

Considering the many environmental challenges this plant presents, one would logically be shocked to learn that not only is this plant not on the chopping block, it has been heavily subsidized by the State of Maryland. Since 2011 Maryland has classified waste-to-energy incineration as a Tier 1 renewable energy source under the Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires electric utility companies to source a portion of their energy from renewable energy sources. Between 2012 and 2022, over $100 million in subsidies have been granted to the two in-state trash incinerators to maintain operations, despite emissions of more greenhouse gas per unit of energy produced than other power sources and including coal power.

Very recently the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation ending the "misclassification" of trash incineration as renewable energy and will end subsidizing companies that burn trash, instead redirecting these funds toward investments more green sources of energy generation such as solar energy. This does not mean that Bresco's future will be in peril. When speaking with an important Maryland State Senator, I asked is it not better to put trash in a landfill instead of incinerating it? His response what that methane emissions from landfills was a greater menace to the environment the CO2 generated from burning waste. Perhaps he is unaware that modern landfills have the technology to capture methane before it enters the atmosphere and using it as a renewable resource. Studies have also shown that while methane has a powerful short-term impact on the climate, there is very little of it and it quickly dissipates once released into the atmosphere.

The latest word is that the 41 year old Bresco incinerator will likely continue to operate through the mid-2030s, according to a Maryland Department of Public works report.

Geoffrey Pohanka, Chairman, Pohanka Automotive Group, Capitol Heights MD