December 20th, 2019 by WCBC Radio
The chairman of the principal environmental committee in the Maryland House of Delegates plans to introduce legislation next year to shutter the state’s six remaining coal-fired power plants- and that could be bad news for Allegany County. House Environment and Transportation Chairman Kumar P. Barve (D-Montgomery) announced that he is having legislation drafted to gradually close coal plants in favor of clean power electric generation. In a conference call with reporters, Barve said he hadn’t settled on a timeline for shutting down the coal plants. Maryland has coal plants in Allegany, Montgomery, Prince George’s and Charles counties, plus two in Anne Arundel County. Delegate Wendell Beitzel said this action would have a negative impact on the Western Maryland region…
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December 20, 2019 at 8:01 am, David said:
Once again the down state traitors show their complete lack of knowledge. How long will we continue to take this?
December 20, 2019 at 8:11 am, mac said:
The flat-earthers and others in the lunatic fringe that still deny climate change or, more truthfully, global warming are wanting to keep Allegany County in denial.
Our present path could very well spell doom for our grandchildren and the world they live in.
Delegate Beitzel is, as always, thinking short term and that’s no longer a viable option.
The wind turbines that no one wants are the only option around here. This area does not have enough sunny days throughout the year to allow large scale solar farms, which everyone would hate and vote against anyway.
Now is the time for those who will be impacted to be searching for alternatives to the coal industry jobs that will be ending.
Instead of rallying to keep this area in the past Mr. Beitzel should be looking for alternatives NOW!
The power generators and coal operators most surely are the guiding force behind his support which comes in the way of campaign contributions. If I’m mistaken Mr. Beitzel should let me know so that I may apologize for thinking he is in the pocket of big business.
December 20, 2019 at 8:35 am, Virgil said:
Thirty years ago these same “Progressive’s” were preaching an oncoming Ice Age. This decision should be local instead of the state.
December 21, 2019 at 11:00 am, Ken said:
Virgil said, “Thirty years ago these same “Progressive’s” were preaching an oncoming Ice Age.”
What really happened is that media misunderstood what science was telling them and the idiots who never bother to fact check anything ran with it.
The real problem is that this type of willful ignorance still continues today with no apparent end in sight.
You did a good job highlighting a problem even if you missed exactly what the problem was.
December 20, 2019 at 9:19 am, S said:
THANK GOD someone wants to help the air quality in the So Branch Industrial Park, as it is causing upper respiratory/bronchial infections ongoing in all of the plants nearby including a variety of Pneumonias and asthmatic distress. It is not “clean coal” it’s just coal.
December 20, 2019 at 1:28 pm, Brian said:
Why don’t these people ever say anything about China or India that are building hundreds a coal-fired power houses if they were really serious about this they would demand that China and India dismantle their coal-fired power plants they will never do this because everything is America’s fault
December 21, 2019 at 11:01 am, Ken said:
Brian, Actually, China is retiring coal plants now, not building new ones. Their latest five year plan expects to eliminate all but a very few.
As far as India, they are pretty much a lost cause.
December 20, 2019 at 1:30 pm, mac said:
It’s not prudent to think locally, or state wide, or even nationally. the entire world is in trouble and it’s everyone’s responsibility to start working to try to rectify the problems that we have created.
Stopping the burning of coal is something that we can do, locally, to do our part. It will hurt in the short term but in the long run everyone will benefit.
I, myself, am old and won’t live long enough to experience what the world may become, so why should I care? That, unfortunately is the mind set of some short sighted, narrow minded people. For example the present regime in Washington,backing the USA out of the Paris Accord. This regime also wants to lower fuel economy standards on autos increasing CO2 emmisions. All of this is done for the benefit of the big corporations, such as Verso, that have no qualms about putting 675 workers on our streets when profits go down.
That’s just one, local, example.
Don’t let individuals, such as Delegate Beitzel ruin your children and grandchildren’s future. We’re all in this together.
December 20, 2019 at 4:28 pm, Paolo Primavera said:
Mac, I could not have said it any clearer or better. We as older folks need to become more educated in this disaster about to seriously impact our beautiful planet. Here endeth today’s lesson to humanity.
December 23, 2019 at 7:40 am, g.stimmel said:
Sounds like mac needs to run for president instead of posting coments