Environmental Justice Story

By: Kimberly Armstrong, as told to Calvin Chrisfield

The opinions shared in this piece are those of the speaker and/or the person being featured in the story. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

Baltimore community leader and Maryland LCV board member Kimberly Armstrong. Image by Kimberly Armstrong

In Baltimore City, environmental justice is a paramount issue. Nearly the entire city is classified as both “overburdened” and “underserved,” and some parts of the city play host to multiple sources of pollution, including trash and litter, air pollution from cars and trucks, and legacy industrial pollution from the city’s several power plants and industrial sites.

In her search for solutions to environmental injustice, Baltimore community leader and Maryland LCV board member Kimberly Armstrong noticed that the city’s most vulnerable communities are underrepresented in environmental spaces, with environmental programs and organizations failing to adequately reach the communities they are meant to serve.

Helping Community Solar Lower Electricity Bills

Compounded with exposure to multiple pollution sources, many low-income Baltimoreans also struggle with monthly healthcare and energy bills. In recent years, Baltimore Gas and Electric’s (BGE’s) electricity rates have skyrocketed, increasing by over 33% since 2020—about twice the inflation rate. These rate hikes have put significant financial strain on Baltimore City residents, many of whom are struggling to keep up.

One option for Marylanders to save on utility bills is the state’s community solar program. Community solar allows residents to enjoy the benefits of solar energy without needing to install any solar panels on their property. These programs allow Maryland residents to subscribe to solar farms in their area, both saving on their electricity bills and reducing the grid’s reliance on fossil fuels. This includes Marylanders who live in apartments or homes poorly suited to solar panels. Maryland’s community solar law is written so that electricity provided by community solar is always less than the standard offer service rates. Residents who participate in the program can save anywhere from 10% to 30% on their electricity bills, helping lessen the burden of rising electricity rates.

Community solar allows residents to purchase clean energy while also lowering their electricity bills. Source: https://environment.umn.edu/events/6-things-we-learned-about-the-power-of-community-solar/

Yet, Kimberly noticed that community solar providers were having trouble connecting with residents in her community.

“One of the reasons developers and customer acquisition organizations have a difficult time connecting with the community is because the communities are an afterthought and not a forethought…I never underestimate the power and voice of the community because I’m one of them!” -Kimberly Armstrong

In response, Kimberly drew upon her decades of outreach experience and strong community connections to found Urban Clean Energy, an outreach consulting organization aimed at helping clean energy providers better connect with the communities they serve.

Kimberly consulted with several community solar providers, including Solar United Neighbors, Generation180,  Neighborhood Sun, and Solar4All—a school-based community solar project in her community. She assisted with educating and engaging residents in the community, improving their customer acquisition techniques to better connect with local residents. This work even included promoting a community solar project in her own neighborhood, helping bring the benefits and savings of solar energy to her friends and neighbors.

Workforce Development Through Offshore Wind

In addition to helping people lower their electricity bills and reducing Maryland’s reliance on fossil fuels, clean energy programs can help bring jobs to the state. However, Kimberly noticed that people of color and marginalized communities are often underrepresented in environmental careers.

In response, in 2023, Kimberly co-founded the Baltimore Green Justice Workers Cooperative (BGJWC), a workforce development organization seeking to help people from marginalized and underserved communities find jobs that promote environmental justice for their communities.

Offshore wind turbines off of the coast of Virginia Beach. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coastal_Virginia_Offshore_Wind_11.jpg

Currently, Maryland has two proposed offshore wind projects: MarWin and Momentum Wind. Together, these projects are anticipated to not only produce 1.7 gigawatts of clean electricity—enough to power 650,000 homes—but also create 13,600 jobs. Seeing this opportunity, Kimberly and BGJWC began to focus their efforts on offshore wind’s job opportunities. While the turbines will ultimately be installed in the ocean off the coast in Ocean City, Maryland, there are job opportunities being created through offshore wind throughout the state, including in Baltimore City.

BGJWC Offshore Wind and Related Industries Pre-Apprenticeship program. Image by Kimberly Armstrong.

In 2024, BGJWC launched its Offshore Wind and Related Industries Pre-Apprenticeship program, a 12-week training program to help people develop the skills needed for a career in offshore wind. Through hands-on classes led by industry experts, BGJWC helped trainees better understand the offshore wind industry and learn important safety skills. Trainees could also gain CPR, first aid, and several Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) certifications, helping them become attractive applicants for offshore wind jobs. Since then, the program has graduated two cohorts of trainees, who have gone on to have careers in areas like construction and nursing.

By: Azucena Fernández, as told to Calvin Chrisfield

The opinions shared in this piece are those of the speaker and/or the person being featured in the story. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

Prince George’s County has a large Latino community, with 21.2% of the population identifying as Latino or Hispanic, the highest concentration in the state. Much of this population is primarily Spanish-speaking; more than 13% of households reported speaking Spanish at home, more than 31% of which also had limited English proficiency. In some majority-Hispanic/Latino communities like Langley Park and East Riverdale, most residents report speaking a language other than English at home (87.8% and 68.4%, respectively).

Azucena Fernández, a Chispa Maryland community leader. Image by Azucena Fernández

However, according to Chispa Maryland community leader Azucena Fernández, these communities have historically been underrepresented in government and decision-making spaces, especially related to the environment.

This is especially significant because the county is disproportionately impacted by the effects of pollution and climate change. In fact, the vast majority of the county—including the areas with the highest Latino population—is considered to be both “underserved” and “overburdened.” Residents suffer from multiple sources of pollution, including proximity to power plants and other industrial facilities. These environmental burdens accumulate, impacting residents’ health and well-being.

Chispa Maryland was created to support communities like those in Prince George’s County. Established in 2014, the Chispa Maryland program of the Maryland LCV Education Fund works to close health and environmental disparities through community participation, leadership development, and empowering Latino Marylanders in the fight against environmental injustice and climate change. Chispa Maryland connects with Maryland’s Latino residents, offering environmental education and strengthening their capacity to advocate for healthier and more resilient communities.

Azucena Fernández learned about Chispa Maryland in 2024, when her friend recommended that she attend one of their community workshops. Previously, Azucena worked as an agronomist, professor, and in environmental education, teaching youth about nature and the impacts of pollution and climate change. She was searching for a new way to stay involved with environmental issues, and Chispa Maryland was a perfect fit. Azucena joined her local Chispa Maryland committee—a local group where community members meet to learn about environmental issues, develop leadership skills, and work together to protect their communities—where she quickly became a community leader.

Soon, Azucena brought her experience working with youth to Chispa Maryland and helped found the Chispa Maryland Youth Leadership Academy, a program designed to teach Latino Prince George’s County high school students about the environment, environmental justice, and advocacy. Through lessons about cumulative environmental impacts, current county policies, and the relationship between public health and the environment, Azucena and the Chispa Maryland team helped the students develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to actively participate in their communities and advocate for a more sustainable future.

The Academy didn’t just focus on classroom learning; it also created opportunities for students to put into practice what they had learned. Through interactive role-play activities, students acted as legislators, community members, and advocates, developing important skills to perform legislative advocacy. They learned how to be spokespeople for their communities and how to push for policies that protect the environment and public health in the long run.

“Advocacy and legislation are important tools to show environmental issues through the real stories and experiences of the community. For this reason, young leaders were trained to be able to raise their voices and bring their personal experiences in front of decision-makers.” -Chispa Maryland leader Azucena Fernández (Translated from Spanish)

The Academy’s first class of 27 students graduated in  October 2025. Soon after, they began to apply their new advocacy skills. In November 2025, four students and one Chispa Maryland “promotora,” supported by 18 other local committee members and Academy alumni in attendance, testified before the Prince George’s County Board of Education to push for a transition from polluting diesel school buses to cleaner electric buses. Chispa Maryland’s “promotores” are community leaders trained to connect, educate, and support members of their communities, helping them involve themselves in issues that impact their health and environment.

Chispa Maryland Youth Leadership Academy’s graduation ceremony. Image by Chispa Maryland (October 2025).

In February 2026, ten graduates of the Academy joined Azucena and other Chispa Maryland leaders for Maryland League of Conservation Voters’ annual Lobby Day to advocate for the CHERISH Our Communities Act. This legislation sought to change the state permitting process to consider the effects of cumulative environmental impacts (for both the Maryland Department of Environment and the Public Service Commission). The students spoke to state legislators, explaining how their communities suffer from cumulative impacts and how the CHERISH Act would help to protect them.

“Lobby Day brought the community the opportunity to directly express their concerns in front of legislators and ask for their support to promote and pass laws that protect their communities and the environment.” -Chispa Maryland leader Azucena Fernández. Translated from Spanish

Chispa Maryland Youth Leadership Academy graduates and other Chispa Maryland advocates in front of the Maryland State House on Lobby Day. Image by Chispa Maryland (February, 2026).

Unfortunately, despite the passionate advocacy of the students and the pressing need to address cumulative impacts, the CHERISH Act did not pass. However, with the support of Chispa Maryland and Maryland LCV, the students are prepared to continue their advocacy and leadership during the next legislative session, ensuring that the voices of the Latino community are heard.

By: Dr. Tracy Garrett-Owusu, as told to the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

The opinions shared in this piece are those of the speaker and/or the person being featured in the story. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

Celestine Brown, left, and Tracy Garrett on Sands Road. Image by Dave Harp (2023)
https://www.bayjournal.com/news/pollution/despite-setback-maryland-community-aims-to-continue-fighting-industrial-activity/article_12572ac2-540b-11ee-b538-0f3500952efc.html

In Lothian, more than 100 diesel trucks travel daily through narrow residential roads. The community, located in central Anne Arundel County, was once predominantly forest and farmland, but is now regularly impacted by industrial traffic, leaving behind thick clouds of dust and the stench of diesel exhaust.

The trucks travel to and from a company that receives vehicles transporting a variety of materials, passing through predominantly Black communities, which were exposed to the environmental impacts of industrial activity without their knowledge. 

This part of Lothian is zoned as rural-agricultural, not industrial. And yet, along one road, Sands Road, there are a number of industrial facilities, including Westport Reclamation. There is provision in the local zoning code that allows operations at the site to continue under a  “special exception” despite consistent objections from the community, and ongoing uncertainty about the nature of daily operations at the facility. 

What’s more, even though the operations had been going on for decades, the site was not issued a required stormwater discharge permit until 2020. In addition, Anne Arundel County inspectors found that the property was violating local zoning regulations by holding unregistered vehicles and dumping, processing, and reselling construction debris. 

When lifetime Lothian resident and environmental chair of the NAACP, Dr. Tracy Garrett-Owusu, petitioned to shut the operation down, it was ruled she didn’t have legal standing because she didn’t live directly next to the facility. As for the non-permitted activity, the company received a relatively minor punishment of a $3,000 fine.

Dr. Garrett-Owusu emphasizes, “It’s not just the trucks and it’s not just that company; we’re dealing with legacy pollution from old facilities and toxic dust in the air. Fumes, water pollution, sound pollution—it has an impact on your stress levels.”

Near where she lives, there are at least ten sources of water pollution: five mobile home park wastewater treatment plants, two closed solid waste landfills, and another sand and gravel mining operation.

In 2015, a Health Impact Assessment prepared by University of Maryland students under the guidance of Dr. Saccoby Wilson revealed 33 industrial sites in the Lothian-Harwood area, 22 of which were still in operation, all within a five-mile radius of one another. Two of those sites also had documented histories of cancer-causing pollutants surpassing permitted health standards.

In another investigation, the Chesapeake Bay Legal Alliance uncovered several instances of noncompliance with water pollution permits. “Although we informed the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) in June of 2020 and asked for a follow-up response and action, we never received a formal response,” litigation manager Patrick DeArmey wrote two years later.

“It’s been an ongoing struggle with the county—one step forward, two steps backward,” says Dr. Garrett-Owusu. “People who don’t live here just don’t really get it.”

Without accountability and transparency, communities not only suffer from decisions they didn’t make, but are forced to fight for the bare minimum: health and safety. Moreover, enforcing existing standards does little to address the decades of cumulative health impacts that continue to weigh on community members today. Meaningful prioritization of health, sustainability, and justice is possible only when communities are guided by the people who live in them, rather than by industry.

Additional Resources:

• Anne Arundel County, NAACP Maryland State Conference Environmental Justice and Climate Committee
• Health Impact Assessment Lothian, MD 20711 [PDF 860KB]

By: Ann Bristow, as told to the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

The opinions shared in this piece are those of the speaker and/or the person being featured in the story. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

• Water Pollution
• Air Pollution
• Economic Hardship, Limited Media Coverage, and Weak Enforcement of Environmental Laws
• Climate Resiliency and Ongoing Battles

In the far western corner of Maryland, the counties of Allegany and Garrett are shaped by a long history of coal, timber, and natural gas extraction.

Water Pollution

Streams run orange from acid mine drainage, especially in western Allegany and southern Garrett counties. Many of these waterways are permanently fouled, unsafe to drink from, or fish in. Frostburg, a city once built on coal, now pipes in water from outside its own watershed because local supplies are too contaminated to use.

Garrett County is split by the Eastern Continental Divide, separating the Chesapeake Bay watershed from the Gulf of Mexico watershed. Most of the county drains west, and because Maryland’s environmental attention focuses almost exclusively on protecting the Bay, western waters get little notice, funding, or enforcement.

Air Pollution

Air pollution is harder to see but just as dangerous. Allegany County has the highest rate of all cancers in Maryland, and ranks near the top for cardiovascular disease. These health problems have been linked to decades of coal combustion and surface and deep mining, industries that continue to threaten community members. 

As an example, local officials recently supported transitioning the AES Warrior Run plant from coal to woody biomass, trading one highly polluting facility for another. Image by Brent Walls (November 6, 2023).

Economic Hardship, Limited Media Coverage, and Weak Enforcement of Environmental Laws

Both counties are classified as economically distressed by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Allegany County’s poverty rate is more than 40% above the state average. In Garrett County, tourism around Deep Creek Lake boosts some statistics, but that prosperity hasn’t spread. Affordable housing is scarce, and population decline has led to proposed school closures.

Ann Bristow, a public health advocate and member of the Mountain Maryland Movement, joined with other residents to raise awareness about the health and environmental challenges in the region. Together, they successfully pushed for a statewide fracking ban in 2017, focusing on water contamination, a more visible and tangible threat. But air pollution continues with little public pushback.

“Because it’s so poor out here, everything that is perceived as a money maker is jumped on, even if it’s at the expense of public health and the environment,” says Bristow.

A compounding factor in the region’s challenges is that there is minimal local media. One of Garrett County’s only newspapers was sold to a West Virginia company in 2017, and its news staff is now just two people. The nearest TV stations are based in Pittsburgh. The region is largely cut off from Maryland’s major media markets and policy conversations.

In addition, enforcement of environmental laws is weak. Garrett County, a largely rural area, has no county-wide zoning and slow police response times. Outside the town centers of Oakland and McHenry, response times from law enforcement can stretch to 30 minutes or more. Illegal dumping, burning, and land clearing often go unchecked.

“You’ve got this locked-off county,” Bristow says. “Not in the media market for D.C. or Annapolis, and two-thirds of Garrett County is not in the Chesapeake Bay protection zone—it gets ignored, and is really easily exploited.”

Climate Resiliency and Ongoing Battles

Severe flooding in Allegany County. Image by Charissa Bishop, left (May 13, 2025). https://wjla.com/news/local/severe-flooding-allegany-county-md-westernport-elementary-school-evacuation-maryland-georges-creek-elementary-emergency-alert-flood-floods-water-damage-deaths-injuries-sheriffs-office-mountain-ridge-high-school-westmar-middle-maryland-state-police Screenshot by Ann Bristow of Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries (May 13, 2025)

As the climate crisis worsens, these counties also face increased flood risk. In May, Georges Creek and Westernport, among the poorest parts of Allegany County, were severely impacted by rising waters and the overflow of raw sewage. FEMA denied this area disaster aid, leaving families and businesses to struggle on their own.

Threats to environmental and public health are ongoing. These counties are now facing a proposed Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link, which may go through protected Wildlands and other State forests, as well as residential and agricultural land. There is also a proposed repeal of Maryland’s fracking ban, along with the potential revival of coal extraction and timber harvesting projects, including facilities like AES Warrior Run and the Luke Paper Mill.

Environmental justice is not just a fight for a healthy environment, but for power in decision-making. In counties like Allegany and Garrett, the lack of representation for low-income communities means they rarely have a seat at the table when decisions are made about land use, energy, or infrastructure. As a result, they bear the brunt of industrial and extractive activity—and the health impacts that come with it.

By: Annalise Kenney and André Chung, as told to the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

The opinions shared in this piece are those of the speaker and/or the person being featured in the story. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

Two documentaries, Smithville and Eroding History, tell the story of two majority Black communities in Dorchester County along the low-lying edges of the Chesapeake Bay. Decades ago, racist policies pushed these communities onto mosquito-infested marshland and excluded the residents from providing input to zoning decisions. Those same decisions continue to shape life today as sea level rise is exacerbated by climate change, and flooding becomes a regular occurrence. 

Keith Cornish, a Smithville native, remembers a time when he was younger and there were more people around. Kids played on the bank, and families gathered at the old church. Now, only four residents of the previous 200 remain, and their church and cemetery, dating back to 1924, are consistently flooded.

New Revived United Methodist Church in Smithville. Image by Nicole Lehming, Maryland Sea Grant (July 10, 2018)

Deal Island is similarly suffering, where churchgoers often can’t attend services in person because of high tides or storms that sometimes leave the church inaccessible for weeks. 

Flooded cemetery on Deal Island. Image by John Jones (2021).

While community members can seek refuge during severe weather, the graves in the cemetery are particularly vulnerable during these events. To community members’ horror, coffins of loved ones have been broken and even dislodged, found floating down surrounding streets. Stories of past community members, of families, and of struggles for freedom are increasingly being washed away.

The flooding of these communities isn’t just bad luck; it’s the result of slavery-era decisions that relegated recently freed slaves to the outskirts of the mainland. Additionally, since these communities have historically been underserved, they have limited wealth and structural support to compete for state and federal flood relief funds.

The communities of Deal Island and Smithville are left adrift, not only from a livable future but from their past. Without bold intervention and meaningful redress, the injustices of the past won’t just linger; they will rise with the tide.

Watch Smithville by Maryland Sea Grant | Watch Eroding History by André Chung/Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative

Additional Resources:

• “Smithville Tries to Stem the Tide,” Chesapeake Quarterly/Maryland Sea Grant

Get Involved:

André Chung is a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker working at the intersection of race, culture, and environmental justice. Contact him at info@achungphoto.com to discuss your story or project.

By: Maria Payan, as told to the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

The opinions shared in this piece are those of the speaker and/or the person being featured in the story. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

Covered in this story:

• The growth of CAFOs
• CAFO Proposal over Paleo Channel Aquifer
• Waste Facility Expansion

The Growth of CAFOs

Image by Terry Chea/AP.

Where small chicken farms once operated on the Eastern Shore, large-scale concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have taken over; by 2024, Maryland had 494 CAFOs. Maryland raises nearly 300 million broiler chickens annually, with most production concentrated in Worcester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Caroline counties. Those chickens generate approximately 550,000 tons of poultry litter (manure, bedding, and feathers) per year. That’s equivalent to:

• 1.1 billion pounds of poultry waste per year
• Roughly 3 million pounds per day
  

A 2023 assessment by the University of Maryland found that poultry operations dominate Maryland’s CAFO sector, with most CAFOs located on the Eastern Shore. While cattle produce more total manure by weight statewide, Eastern Shore nutrient pollution is driven largely by poultry operations because poultry litter contains higher concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus. 

Even though land application of this waste is regulated,  nutrient overload still occurs, contributing to phosphorus runoff into the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the presence of nitrates in drinking water. CAFOs also emit volatile organic compounds, ammonia, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, and heavy metals into the atmosphere. People living near CAFOs are at greater risk of developing respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and bronchitis.

CAFO Proposal over Paleo Channel Aquifer

Wicomico County, a low-income county with one of the highest percentages of Black residents on the Eastern Shore, has an exceptionally high concentration of CAFOs. One in four children is diagnosed with asthma, and the area has one of the worst respiratory rates in the state. Despite being overburdened with existing pollution, residents continually face permit requests for additional polluting facilities in their neighborhoods. 

In 2015, residents learned about a proposal for a massive poultry CAFO in Wicomico County over the Paleo Channel aquifer and in the middle of majority Black neighborhoods. In response, residents formed the Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs (CCAIC) to oppose the siting. 

“I’m here as a voice for the thousands of cries that have fallen on the deaf ears of our locally elected officials,” testified Monica Brooks, co-founder of CCAIC. “Why so much opposition, I ask, to regulating polluters? Is industry more important than people?”

Due in part to the CCAIC’s consistent advocacy, in 2016, Wicomico County implemented a series of regulations that require poultry houses to be placed farther away from residents. Two years later, the property owners called off the proposed CAFO and sold the land.

Waste Facility Expansion

It’s not just poultry farms and CAFOs that are causing harm; Wicomico County also must contend with the impact of industrial waste facilities. Biorefinery plants, intended to find alternative ways to manage animal waste, have been linked to increased air and water pollution and pose significant health risks to nearby residents. 

In 2015 and 2020, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) awarded over $3 million in grants from their Waste Technology Fund to a biorefinery project in Wicomico County. This project was proposed as a way to convert hundreds of tons of chicken litter per year into bio-oil (a fuel additive), bio-char (used in compost), and synthetic gas (used as a heat source). 

The developer’s original lease expired and the landlord decided not to move forward with the project. MDA and MDE approved a request from the developer to move the project to a new location—one zoned for agricultural, not industrial, use. 

However, the biorefinery developer failed to inform nearby residents about the project and its potential impacts. The developer was only granted a permit to construct a farm storage pole barn, not an industrial biorefinery that it was constructing, which is not allowed to be permitted in agricultural zones. Maria’s concerns are rooted in both the lack of transparency and the inappropriate land use. 

When community members found out, they quickly organized to voice their concerns. Groups including CCAIC reported the facility to the County Council, sparking an inspection that found the site was out of compliance with its permit and the county zoning ordinance. The County issued a stop work order, halting the project. 

The developer quickly appealed the decision, which was denied during a hearing that included passionate testimony from local residents. The Appeals Board’s actions upheld the stop work order and prohibited the construction of an industrial biorefinery on agricultural land.

As CAFO and waste facility expansions continue, it is residents who are left to fight for basic protections. Families continue to lose members to asthma attacks, adverse birth outcomes, respiratory conditions, and cancer, which they believe are connected to the presence of CAFOs. Without stronger policies centered on community health and environmental safety, the burden remains on those most impacted to hold polluters accountable.

Additional Resources:

• “​13 Industrial Poultry Houses in My Neighborhood? No Way!” What’s With Wicomico
• “Chicken Farms Are Making it Harder to Breathe on Maryland’s Eastern Shore,” Sentient
• “Right To Harm”
• Short film about the Sussex Environmental Health Network

Get Involved:

• Sussex Environmental Health Network
• Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs (CCAIC)

By: John Garofolo, as told to the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

The opinions shared in this piece are those of the speaker and/or the person being featured in the story. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

Covered in this story

• Coal Power Plant Neighbors and Prolific Industrial Pollution
• Contaminated Dredge Material Dumping
• Organizing with the Anne Arundel Patapsco Environmental Coalition (AAPEC)
• Working with Environmental Justice and Conservation Stewardship Organizations and Across Communities
  

Coal Power Plant Neighbors and Prolific Industrial Pollution

Stoney Beach is a lush tidal peninsula community of 458 homes in Anne Arundel County, surrounded by a large creek on one side, a smaller creek on the other, and the Patapsco River on another. When John Garofolo first moved there twenty years ago, enamored with his waterfront property and the beautiful views, he didn’t fully realize the impacts the two coal-fired plants on the creek near his home would have on his life. These two power plants, the H.A. Wagner Generating Station and Brandon Shores Power Plant, were within hundreds of feet of all of the homes in his community.

Cox Creek, Wagner, and Brandon Shores Power Plants, view from Stoney Beach. Image by John Garofolo. 2023

Over time, their impact became impossible to ignore. He began to notice a recurring layer of black and gray coal ash coating his home, car, and patio furniture, forcing him to clean constantly.

Then, in 2016, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the finding that the greater Baltimore area violated air pollution standards for sulfur dioxide, which designated it as a nonattainment zone, John decided to look more into the impact of the coal plants in his community. To his shock, he discovered that the two power plants adjacent to his home were the source of the EPA’s findings. If the entire greater Baltimore area was being exposed to toxic levels of sulfur dioxide, he wondered how high the levels were at ground zero in his community. 

When he tried to find out, he discovered that a sulfur dioxide monitor had never been sited anywhere near his community. All the data on air pollution exposure came from monitors located miles away, nowhere near the coal-burning power plants that loomed in their own backyard. It didn’t take much for him to realize that using data from distant monitors would naturally underestimate the community’s exposure.

Stoney Beach Peninsula and the Wagner and Brandon Shores Power plants next door. Image by John Garofolo. 2023.

However, during 2022, in the midst of the pandemic’s quiet chaos and without the community’s knowledge, the then-MDE Secretary sent a letter to the EPA requesting the decommissioning of the monitor they had just installed. He argued that it was no longer needed because the coal plants complied with air quality standards. The EPA agreed to decommission it, stating they couldn’t get data from the monitor anyway because it was apparently an antiquated model and was generating buggy data that couldn’t be used. In effect, no useful data was ever obtained from the monitor, and the EPA continued to measure sulfur dioxide levels from distant monitors. The citizens in Stoney Beach and nearby communities never learned how much sulfur dioxide they had been exposed to.

The Wagner plant recently converted from coal to gas and diesel, but Brandon Shores continues to run solely on coal. While it added smokestack scrubbers in 2010 to reduce its pollution, it still emits toxins and some ash. The grounds of both plants are also highly contaminated.

Contaminated Dredge Material Dumping

The coal and fossil fuel power plants next door are just one part of a larger cluster of facilities nearby. Cox Creek, located next to the Stoney Beach peninsula, also houses a wastewater treatment plant that periodically overflows and frequently emits a horrible odor. Additionally, a medical waste incinerator, two Superfund sites, chemical and materials factories, oil refineries, and multiple dumps containing a range of contaminated and toxic materials are located just a handful of miles away. 

One of those facilities is the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) Cox Creek Dredge Material Containment Facility, where dredge material from shipping channels, anchorages, and berths in Baltimore Harbor on the Patapsco River is permanently stored. Much of this material is contaminated from decades of legacy industrial runoff and chemical dumping and contains petroleum, heavy metals, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), and other toxic chemicals. 

In his testimony at the 2026 CHERISH Our Communities Act hearing, John described how he approached MPA in 2021 to find out if they could provide sand for the living shoreline his community was planning. MPA invited John to join their Cox Creek Citizen Oversight Committee, where he learned about their work, plans, and the dredge contamination. MPA indicated that they had recently received a new pile of uncontaminated dredge material from just off Stoney Beach’s shoreline on Cox Creek and the Patapsco River.

“When it was tested as required by MDE, it was found to contain high levels of a carcinogenic chemical from coal-burning called benzo[a]pyrene. This means that we’ve been exposed to this chemical in the air and in our soil and in the waters around our community for decades. The pile of sand had to sit in the sun for a year so that the chemical would dissipate before we could use it. We do not know how much benzo[a]pyrene (or other toxins) we’re still being exposed to.”

Maryland Port Administration Cox Creek Dredge Material Containment Facility. Image by https://maryland-dmmp.com/placement-sites/cox-creek/

In late 2021, at John’s first Citizen Oversight Committee meeting, he learned that the state planned to dump contaminated dredge material in holes they intended to dig in the Patapsco River bottom just hundreds of yards from Stoney Beach and Riviera Beach residents’ homes. In fact, it planned to dig up to 90 feet deep in a 220-acre area to remove valuable sand and gravel and replace it with uncapped contaminated dredge material that the state would normally put in special containment facilities, like in Cox Creek. This practice is called Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD). Without the proper protections and containment,  John is concerned that this plan could destroy the fragile ecology of a large portion of the Patapsco River.

MPA considered the river near residential waterway communities as appropriate dumping grounds in its planning, quickly moving forward with a plan to create a 20-acre CAD “pilot” just off the shores of Stoney Beach and Riviera Beach. Residents of the greater Pasadena area who use that area for watersports, fishing, crabbing, waterfowl hunting, swimming, and all manner of boating were shocked and angry when they learned of MPA’s plans.

Organizing with the Anne Arundel Patapsco Environmental Coalition (AAPEC)

John organized a town hall to inform the community and local legislators of the issue and invited MPA to talk about its plans. The plan was met with outrage, and state legislators immediately began talks with MPA leadership about halting the CAD project. Shortly thereafter, John and his neighbors from around the Pasadena area formed the all-volunteer Anne Arundel Patapsco Environmental Coalition (AAPEC). A core group of volunteer scientists, conservationists, and community advocates formed within AAPEC to engage technically with the state in its plans and findings related to the environmental impacts of CAD on the environment and Patapsco waterway communities in Anne Arundel County and other environmental concerns.

Stoney Beach’s new living shoreline community planting event. Image by John Garofolo (June 28, 2025).

In 2023–24, AAPEC worked with legislators to draft a bill creating an independent task force to study CAD. The bill died in committee, but MPA created its own Bay Enhancement Working Group CAD subcommittee, composed of members they chose—many of whom were their own contractors—to conduct an external study of their CAD plans. While AAPEC and community members were given the opportunity to participate in the meetings and express their concerns—they cited over 85 unique, unaddressed risks—the study’s scope, design, and membership left major impartiality concerns. 

In 2024–25, the AAPEC core group worked with District 31 legislators to draft a bill prohibiting the use of contaminated dredge near overburdened and underserved communities. MPA agreed to a voluntary four-year moratorium on CAD rather than a permanent environmental justice-based moratorium near Stoney Beach and Riviera Beach. The bill was modified by legislators to require only a four-year moratorium on CAD, and although it passed both chambers of the legislature, it was vetoed by the governor with the justification that MPA could be trusted without a law to live up to its voluntary moratorium. However, local legislators worked with the General Assembly to override the veto. MPA recently released its Bay Enhancement Working Group subcommittee findings report on its CAD plans, which called out the need for significant research on CAD before it could proceed. The moratorium will end in 2029, and the future of CAD remains unclear.

“We’ve been fighting this battle uphill,” John says. “We just want to make the Patapsco river and communities around it safe and clean.”

Brandon Shores and Wagner Power Plants and new Stoney Beach living shoreline, a contrast in environmental action. Image from Stoney Beach archives. 2025.

Working with Environmental Justice and Conservation Stewardship Organizations and across communities

John Garofolo leading a WSA-sponsored community tree planting event in Stoney Beach in 2023, with the power plants looming in the background.

John has since joined forces with other frontline neighborhoods in South Baltimore and across the state, working to pass a cumulative impact environmental justice bill called “CHERISH Our Communities Act.” The bill would require regulators to consider the combined effects of multiple polluting industries on overburdened and historically underserved communities when evaluating permits, based on objective metrics about pollution sources and their impacts. There have been many versions of this legislation over more than a decade. The bill has faced intense opposition from industry, and the longer it sits, the longer communities like John’s suffer from multiple sources of pollution with no relief or systemic solution in sight. 

“I feel a lot of cohesion with other overburdened communities,” John says. “We face very similar situations—people are being gaslighted and run over by industry and state agencies that are meant to protect them.”

Despite all this, John still finds joy and beauty in the place he calls home and the nature it supports. His and other community members’ connection to the land and water continues to fuel the fight to protect the environment and its people. As John says, “The waterways of the Patapsco are the lifeblood of our watershed communities.” 

John is also an Anne Arundel Watershed Steward Academy Master Watershed Steward and part of the Anne Arundel Patapsco River Alliance. He has led the planning and creation of several conservation projects in his community, raising awareness about protecting our environment and ecosystems through reduced runoff and erosion, natural shorelines, native plants, and reducing pesticide and fertilizer use. John recently received a “Watershed Champion” award for his work from Blue Water Baltimore, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of the Patapsco and its watershed through science, conservation, community engagement, and advocacy. Working with Blue Water Baltimore and AAPEC, John participates in water monitoring around Stoney Beach and Patapsco Anne Arundel waterway communities.

Additional Resources:

• CHERISH is an environmental coalition working with the state to develop an EJ bill. See this article: https://marylandmatters.org/2025/09/29/maryland-ej-map-brandywine-cherish-act/
• The coalition is administered by the Mid Atlantic Justice Coalition (MAJC): https://www.midatlanticjustice.org/maryland
• The CHERISH coalition is described at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tXXyC4Aqj5vy67m0c7naPFfLvHBoiOlQ/view

Get Involved:

• Anne Arundel Patapsco Environmental Coalition (AAPEC)
• South Baltimore Community Landtrust (SBCLT)
• Coal Free Curtis Bay
• Sierra Club MD
• Anne Arundel Watershed Stewards Academy (WSA)
• Blue Water Baltimore

By: Staci Hartwell, as told to the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

The opinions shared in this piece are those of the speaker and/or the person being featured in the story. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

Covered in this story

• Transportation Equity
• Data Center Expansion
• Food Equity

Prince George’s County, just outside Washington, D.C., faces a range of pressing environmental challenges, including air pollution, industrial encroachment, and inequitable access to green spaces. Industrial facilities, highways, and waste sites are often concentrated near residential areas, contributing to longstanding public health issues. These issues also drive climate change and exacerbate the impacts of weather disasters, hitting Black and Brown communities first and hardest.

In response to these injustices, communities have organized and fought for change. One example is The South County Environmental Justice Coalition (SCEJC), a community-based organization in Prince George’s County that advocates for environmental and climate justice, guiding policy to address systemic inequities and promote healthy environments for all. Working beyond the county, they have developed statewide frameworks for climate and environmental justice reform, contributing to the passage of important state legislation, including the Climate Solutions Now Act and the POWER Act. Some of the pressing environmental justice issues they face include transportation equity, data center expansion, and food equity.

Transportation Equity

Throughout Virginia’s portion of the Capital Beltway are express lanes—paid toll roads that allow some drivers to have a faster commute for a price. In 2022, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) weighed expansion of those toll roads into southern Prince George’s County. 

This plan was introduced despite evidence that toll roads have consistently failed to reduce congestion and can even make traffic more dangerous as drivers are bottlenecked and pushed onto local streets. These impacts can accumulate, reducing air quality, housing values, and overall quality of life.

Image by Virginia Department of Transportation. https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/projects/northern-virginia-district/i-495-southside-express-lanes-study/

SCEJC’s response to these proposals is simple: invest in public transit to serve all residents regardless of income. In white, wealthier communities, 22 metro stations extend past 495, while in predominantly Black and Brown communities, there is only one. Making public transport accessible is necessary to reduce the cumulative impacts of car dependency and create healthier, safer, and more connected communities for all. As of summer 2026, this proposal is stalled and not moving forward. 

A photo taken at a house near I-495 shows that the highway’s air pollution accumulates into a thick, soot-like ash (PM2.5 residue). Image by Staci Hartwell, SCEJC. (September 2025)

Data Center Expansion

In 2024, the Prince George’s County Planning Board approved a hyperscale data center project in Landover, which would affect the Maples Ridge, Palmer Park, and Glenarden communities—Black and Brown communities that have disproportionately high rates of asthma and bronchitis. Landover already faces significant air, light, and noise pollution, compounded by a nearby football stadium, daily traffic from tens of thousands of vehicles, and two landfills. Community members expressed concern that adding a hyperscale data center, spanning 4.1 million square feet, could not only exacerbate pollution and raise utility costs, but also devalue surrounding properties.

Feeling that the Planning Board had failed to consult local residents adequately, Landover community member Taylor Frazier McCollum launched a petition on June 21, 2025—eventually signed by tens of thousands of people—calling attention to these concerns. The petition emphasizes:

“Our right to be informed and to have a say in our living spaces must be respected. The approval of the Data Center without proper community consultation is unacceptable and must be revisited.”

On September 10, 2025, dozens rallied at the Landover Mall site against the data center project, emphasizing that it had been given the green light without any transparency or community input. 

PG County residents protest proposed data center at Landover Mall site. Image by WTOP/John Duman (September 10, 2025). https://wtop.com/maryland/2025/09/dozens-rally-against-data-center-project-at-abandoned-mall-site/

In response to community organizing, the county paused the project. In October 2025, County Executive Aisha Braveboy issued an executive order halting the issuance of new data center construction permits until a task force could develop comprehensive guidelines for such developments—yet another example of community organizing driving meaningful change, even when some institutions lag.

The Prince George’s County Qualified Data Center Task Force published its findings in its Final Report. SCEJC was the only dissenting vote on the report. SCEJC’s action opposing the report drew national attention from the NAACP. In response to the gaps in the report, the NAACP, with support from CEEJH, co-released a comprehensive counter-report. The People’s Report: A Gap Analysis of Data Center Infrastructure in Prince George’s County, Maryland argues that the task force report failed to adequately examine environmental justice and civil rights implications, as well as assess the negative air quality, energy justice, and water usage impacts. Developed through a collaborative effort of public health, policy, and law academic experts, as well as community leaders and residents, the report evaluates gaps in the Task Force report’s policy recommendations and offers alternative recommendations. The report’s name, “The People’s Report,” reflects the nationwide community members’ lived experiences residing near existing centers in Loudon, Virginia, and Memphis, Tennessee, and includes direct responses from surveyed community members in Prince George’s County, as reported by the NAACP.

Food Equity

Highlighted in blue are Healthy Food Priority Areas where residents do not have access to healthy food. Image screenshot of https://princegeorges.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/9f9202c51cc345ab9e0e1aa21a23bb76

Environmental justice doesn’t just address pollution, but also access to healthy lifestyles, including nutritious, fresh food. 44% of Prince George’s County residents live in a food desert, where many of the food options that are available are unhealthy. Here is an example of the food disparities: in all of Prince George’s County, a jurisdiction of nearly 1,000,000 residents spanning more than 490 square miles, there is only one Whole Foods Market, located in the predominantly White community of Riverdale Park Station. For many residents, access to fresh, nutritious food remains out of reach unless they have reliable transportation to such locations or can cross the bridge into Virginia. By contrast, Alexandria, with approximately 161,000 residents across just 15 square miles, has its own Whole Foods Market and is less than two miles from two additional Whole Foods stores in neighboring jurisdictions.

Staci Hartwell, Legislative and Strategic Advisor for SCEJC and Board Member of Maryland LCV, emphasizes the connection between these environmental injustices and racial disparities. “People often characterize Black and Brown communities automatically as poor, but we’re on par economically with the white communities around us,” Hartwell expresses. “It’s not just about the money or education; race is the overall indicator of a lack of public accountability.” Addressing environmental injustice requires more than awareness—it demands centering racial equity in every policy and project, ensuring that frontline communities have the power to shape the solutions that affect their lives.

Additional Resources:

• NAACP Maryland State Conference Discovery Report, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Maryland State Conference.
• “Data Centers In Maryland,” Nature Forward

By: SirJames Weaver, Marvin Hayes, and Carlos Sanchez-Gonzalez, as told to the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

The opinions shared in this piece are those of the speaker and/or the person being featured in the story. They do not necessarily reflect those of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

Covered in this story:

• Win Waste Incineration and the Renewable Standard Portfolio
• South Baltimore Zero-Waste Plan and DPW’s 10-year Solid Waste Plan
• Community-led Initiatives in the Face of Government Neglect

WIN Waste Incineration and the Renewable Standard Portfolio

The WIN Waste incinerator is a notorious landmark in South Baltimore, with its smokestack towering over surrounding communities and being visible from miles away. Built in 1985, the incinerator burns as much as 700,000 tons of trash annually, and is one of the 70 stationary sources of air pollution just in South Baltimore.

Over the past forty years, the WIN Waste Incinerator has emitted significant amounts of formaldehyde, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide—pollutants associated with an increased risk of cancer, asthma, and heart disease. It’s also estimated to have released large amounts of lead (388 lbs in 2020) and mercury (87 lbs in 2020), both of which have no safe level of exposure.

Representative image of annualized average air pollution dispersion from the WIN Waste Baltimore incinerator, scale indicates increased pollution concentration as a result of the incinerator in µg/m3 (NOx 2017). https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.27.25330313v2

A study conducted by the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins estimated that the incinerator has caused over 50 million dollars in health damages for Maryland and D.C. residents annually. The study also concluded that Black and Brown communities surrounding the incinerator have been forced to shoulder much of the burden of its health impacts, including asthma, heart disease, cancer, and other conditions.

The incinerator also produces significant emissions that accelerate climate change, including over 282,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023. These pollutants emitted into the air  often settle in waterways, polluting the Chesapeake Bay and other water streams.

Even though it emits considerable pollution, trash incineration was included in Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard in 2011, a program meant to support renewable energy projects. From 2020 to 2023, utility ratepayers paid $15.5 million in subsidies to a facility that pollutes surrounding communities and emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Since 2011, when trash incineration was added to the RPS, the South Baltimore community has been fighting that decision. As one example, in 2022, Progressive Maryland began organizing with community members from Cherry Hill, Westport, and Brooklyn to end subsidies to the incinerator. As part of this campaign, SirJames Weaver, a former Progressive Maryland environmental justice organizer, went door-to-door speaking with residents about the incinerator.

“Most people in the neighborhood were oblivious that their utilities were maintaining the wealth of the incinerator.”

–SirJames Weaver, former Progressive Maryland Environmental Justice Organizer

The Reclaim Renewable Energy Act Rally at Lawyers Mall was organized by Progressive Maryland, Clean Water Action, and the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. Image by Izzy Younger (February 20, 2025). https://cleanwater.org/2025/02/20/78-organizations-support-marylands-reclaim-renewable-energy-act

He heard stories from residents, especially those who have lived there their whole lives and who suffer from asthma attacks and hospitalizations. Mary Randall, a lifelong resident of Westport and a member of Progressive Maryland offered a deeply emotional testimony about her experience with cancer, which she attributes to living in close proximity to the Win Waste Incinerator. She recounted the tragic loss of friends to cancer, which like her own ailments, she directly attributed to the pollution from the incinerator. She called upon legislators to support the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act, which would remove green energy subsidies for incineration. 

Through phone banking, letter writing, rallies, and public events, South Baltimore residents have consistently made their voices heard. Residents testified during the 2023, 2024, and 2025 legislative sessions for the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act, and trash incineration was finally removed from the Renewable Portfolio Standard in 2025.

South Baltimore Zero-Waste Plan and DPW’s 10-year Solid Waste Plan

Although removing trash incineration from the Renewable Portfolio Standard was a significant win, community members have made it clear that much more needs to be done to achieve a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Baltimore.

The South Baltimore Community Land Trust, in partnership with community leaders, elected officials, and Baltimore institutions, has spent over a decade developing a comprehensive zero-waste strategy designed to divert waste from incineration while centering equitable community development.

Image found at https://south-baltimore-clt.paperturn-view.com/?pid=MTk190967&p=9&v=3

Their Fair Development Plan for Zero Waste, adopted by the Baltimore City Council in March 2020, underscores that investments in composting and recycling infrastructure could reduce the city’s reliance on landfilling and incineration by up to 90% by 2040, create over 1,700 green jobs, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Not only would reducing waste save the city money, but it would also address the public health and environmental justice issues stemming from trash incineration.

In 2023, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) had the opportunity to integrate this community-led research and zero-waste approach into its 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan. But, the plan failed to do so, even after residents submitted over 700 supporting comments. This led the South Baltimore Land Trust, alongside the Environmental Integrity Project and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, to file a civil rights complaint with the EPA, stating that “DPW failed to adequately plan a transition away from reliance on the highly polluting municipal waste incinerator,” disproportionately impacting the Black and Brown communities living nearest to it.

A year later, the Baltimore City Fiscal Year 2026 Budget still inadequately addresses zero -waste investments. Although the budget includes some zero-waste provisions, such as funding for a composting facility and raising landfill fees, Carlos Sanchez-Gonzalez with the South Baltimore Community Land Trust says it still does not do enough to get the City on track to meet its Zero Waste goals. Community leaders and environmental advocates are urging the City Council to increase funding for proven Zero Waste programs and fulfill Mayor Brandon Scott’s pledge to phase out incineration and close the environmental justice gap. Without such changes, the budget only reflects a broken promise to Baltimore’s underserved communities and a retreat from the City’s stated goals of equity, health, and sustainability. 

Community-led initiatives in the face of government neglect

In the face of municipal neglect, community members and local programs continue to take the lead on zero-waste initiatives and environmental justice.

Marvin Hayes leading a compost education event. Courtesy of Compost Collective. https://baltimorecompostcollective.org/

One such community member is Marvin Hayes, director of the Baltimore Compost Collective, who kick-started a youth-led curbside food scrap collection program that now reaches over 40 neighborhoods and includes more than 400 participants across the greater Baltimore area.

The collective not only provides educational and hands-on experience in composting, environmental justice, community gardening, and youth workforce development, but it also serves as a replicable model that the city could adopt systemically.

“My goal is to inspire the next generation about compost, environmental justice, and food apartheid so even if I don’t see the stop of incineration in my lifetime, it’s enough to know that inspired the next generation so they will have the tools to starve this multibillionaire industry by not giving it the material, especially food scraps, it feeds off.”

–Marvin Hayes, Director of the Baltimore Compost Collective

Youth organizers with the South Baltimore Land Trust have also been conducting crucial, on-the-ground research for their community, using data monitors to provide evidence for what residents have long experienced firsthand. After capturing multiple instances of black smoke and other pollutants emitted from the Curtis Bay medical waste incinerator in South Baltimore, youth organizers have supported legal action as a remedy. They have also worked with neighboring institutions like the Johns Hopkins University to cut ties with the medical waste incinerator.

Carlos Sanchez-Gonzalez, youth leader with South Baltimore Land Trust. Image found at https://www.sbclt.org/our-team/

Carlos Sanchez-Gonzalez with South Baltimore Community Land Trust underscores the invaluable role youth organizing plays in his organization’s work and in local environmental justice efforts as a whole. “[Youth] are on the ground. They see things in a way that most people wouldn’t—they see the possibilities of a healthier, more just future through the work that they do.”

As they wait for answers from the city, residents are proving that the people lead Baltimore’s fight for justice and sustainability and that, through community leadership, a cleaner and more equitable future is already taking shape.

Additional Resources:

• “The Baltimore Incinerator’s Toxic Smoke” Progressive Maryland
• “From Burning Trash to Zero Waste” Sierra Magazine
• “The Incinerator Pollution Is In My Bones” Progressive Maryland
• “BRESCO Waste Incinerator” Clean Air Baltimore Coalition
• “Current Zero Waste Initiatives” South Baltimore Community Land Trust
• “Call for Zero-Waste Investments in the Baltimore City Budget” Progressive Maryland
• “78 Organizations Support Maryland’s Reclaim Renewable Energy Act” Clean Water Action
• “Why is Baltimore City Burning Our Yard Waste?” Clean Water Action

Get Involved

• Volunteer with South Baltimore Community Land Trust: https://www.sbclt.org/volunteer/