Dive Brief:

• Environmental permits were issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority for its Frederick/Carroll County Renewable Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility in Frederick, Md.
• The plant will be operated by Wheelabrator Technologies Inc., a renewable energy generation company that creates clean energy from waste fuels.
• The WTE facility will incinerate municipal solid waste, biosolids, and tires. Once it opens, it will be capable of generating 45 net megawatts of electricity.

Dive Insight:

The MDE says the air quality permits issued, concerning limiting mercury emissions, are more stringent than what is required by both state and federal laws. This should come as no surprise to those familiar with the state's efforts to curb mercury pollution in recent years, though nearby states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio were cited by the EPA in 2011 as additional contributors to Maryland's mercury problem.