Our Position on the County’s “Zero Waste” Plans
Our Position on the County’s “Zero Waste” Plans

Updated Dec. 18, 2024

Montgomery County officials on November 25, 2024 released an update on the County’s plans to overhaul its waste management systems over the next decade. The plans include enhanced recycling, food waste composting, and new processes and technologies to reduce the amount of garbage being burned in the trash incinerator in Dickerson.

SCA strongly supports the intent of this initiative and County leaders’ focus on making Montgomery County a national model of responsible and sustainable waste management—aiming for a “zero waste” (or at least a “much-less-waste”) system.

Regrettably, however, the County’s announcement included a plan to continue trash incineration in Dickerson for up to eight more years—rather than shutting the incinerator down in April 2026 as previously scheduled. County officials said they have authorized the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority (an entity that manages the County’s waste disposal) to extend for five years (from April 2026 to April 2031) its contract with the private company Reworld (formerly known as Covanta), which operates the incinerator.

The announcement states that the County has the “option for early termination” of the contract. A planning timeline on the county website indicates, however, that decommissioning would not begin until 2030.

County officials say the reason for extending the contract is that trash incineration cannot be terminated until waste reduction strategies are substantially built-out and fully implemented.

We believe an alternative path exists, one that would allow the incinerator to be shuttered much sooner. This alternative path involves pivoting to hauling trash to an approved out-of-state landfill that meets strict environmental standards—even as the County more aggressively pursues trash volume reduction. According to two reports commissioned by the County Executive in recent years, such an approach would be less harmful and likely less costly.

We and other groups have requested that the County Council formally review and hold a public hearing on the contract extension.

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Spotlight, Renewable Energy/Waste Disposal/RecyclingSCAComment
Power Line Project is a Bad Idea
Power Line Project is a Bad Idea

Updated November 19, 2024

Note: This updated post discusses proposals for two large-scale solar projects, one in Dickerson and the other near Poolesville. See the note at the end about making your views knows to the relevant government agency.

Click here to view the recording and slides from our recent Community Zoom Forum on the Montgomery Countryside Alliance website. This forum on a proposed solar installation was held on November 14 . SCA and Montgomery Countryside Alliance work together to protect the Ag Reserve.

Background

SCA helped shape a Montgomery County zoning ordinance in 2021 that allows farmers and landowners in the Ag Reserve—working with solar developers—to place ground-based solar arrays on portions of their land if those arrays don’t take prime arable land out of agricultural use.

Under this new policy, solar arrays must meet certain requirements and be approved by county regulators. For now, the total acreage allowed for solar array placement in the Ag Reserve is 1,800 acres, which equates to about 2% of agricultural land in the county. In addition to preserving agricultural land, the rules governing the initiative protect forests and environmentally sensitive areas.

The ordinance permits up to two megawatts of energy per project. It also allows homeowners who install solar arrays (whether on their roofs or on the ground) to produce twice as much energy as they need and sell it back into the grid. Thus, if a homeowner needed 30 kilowatt-hours per day for their own needs, they could produce 60 and sell 30 back to the grid.

Report from the County

This policy and zoning change has been in effect for almost three years. In an assessment of the impact to date, published in December 2023, the County’s Planning Department took stock, highlighted some problems, and identified outcomes to date.

First, the report says two Ag Reserve solar projects are in process under the terms of the 2021 zoning change. Construction on both is scheduled to begin this year. One project plans about 13 acres in solar, the other about 8 acres.

In the words of the report: “While [these projects] demonstrate a modest start to the county’s solar program…it also demonstrates it is possible to promote solar projects on agricultural lands, aiding in reducing carbon emissions and contributing towards our larger renewable energy and solar production goals, while ensuring agriculture remains the primary use within the Agricultural Reserve.”

Second, the report notes that the Maryland state legislature passed legislation in 2022 affecting “community” solar projects, including those on farms. Recent court decisions also apply. Both are complex. The upshot is that state law could eclipse county law for solar projects that will generate more than 2 megawatts of energy—the limit established under the 2021 solar initiative for projects on farmland in the Ag Reserve. And, notably, the state law also allows such larger “community” solar projects (up to 5 megawatts) to be on arable land if the landowner prefers.

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Conservation & Land Use/ZoningSCAComment
Our Position on Solar Energy in the Ag Reserve: View 11/14 Zoom Forum
Our Position on Solar Energy in the Ag Reserve: View 11/14 Zoom Forum

Updated November 19, 2024

Note: This updated post discusses proposals for two large-scale solar projects, one in Dickerson and the other near Poolesville. See the note at the end about making your views knows to the relevant government agency.

Click here to view the recording and slides from our recent Community Zoom Forum on the Montgomery Countryside Alliance website. This forum on a proposed solar installation was held on November 14 . SCA and Montgomery Countryside Alliance work together to protect the Ag Reserve.

Background

SCA helped shape a Montgomery County zoning ordinance in 2021 that allows farmers and landowners in the Ag Reserve—working with solar developers—to place ground-based solar arrays on portions of their land if those arrays don’t take prime arable land out of agricultural use.

Under this new policy, solar arrays must meet certain requirements and be approved by county regulators. For now, the total acreage allowed for solar array placement in the Ag Reserve is 1,800 acres, which equates to about 2% of agricultural land in the county. In addition to preserving agricultural land, the rules governing the initiative protect forests and environmentally sensitive areas.

The ordinance permits up to two megawatts of energy per project. It also allows homeowners who install solar arrays (whether on their roofs or on the ground) to produce twice as much energy as they need and sell it back into the grid. Thus, if a homeowner needed 30 kilowatt-hours per day for their own needs, they could produce 60 and sell 30 back to the grid.

Report from the County

This policy and zoning change has been in effect for almost three years. In an assessment of the impact to date, published in December 2023, the County’s Planning Department took stock, highlighted some problems, and identified outcomes to date.

First, the report says two Ag Reserve solar projects are in process under the terms of the 2021 zoning change. Construction on both is scheduled to begin this year. One project plans about 13 acres in solar, the other about 8 acres.

In the words of the report: “While [these projects] demonstrate a modest start to the county’s solar program…it also demonstrates it is possible to promote solar projects on agricultural lands, aiding in reducing carbon emissions and contributing towards our larger renewable energy and solar production goals, while ensuring agriculture remains the primary use within the Agricultural Reserve.”

Second, the report notes that the Maryland state legislature passed legislation in 2022 affecting “community” solar projects, including those on farms. Recent court decisions also apply. Both are complex. The upshot is that state law could eclipse county law for solar projects that will generate more than 2 megawatts of energy—the limit established under the 2021 solar initiative for projects on farmland in the Ag Reserve. And, notably, the state law also allows such larger “community” solar projects (up to 5 megawatts) to be on arable land if the landowner prefers.

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Spotlight, Renewable Energy/Waste Disposal/RecyclingSCAComment
County Enhances Food Compost Effort
County Enhances Food Compost Effort

November 15, 2024

This month, Montgomery County launched the latest phase of its initiative to reduce food waste by encouraging businesses and residents to compost instead of discarding food scraps in the trash. (See a short video later in this article.)

Food scraps account for about one-quarter of the county's total trash volume. In 2023, the county estimates that approximately 90,000 tons of food waste ended up in the trash, most of which was incinerated at the county's facility in Dickerson.

Composting food scraps is an environmentally beneficial practice (and thus, a no-brainer), but it requires significant changes in behavior for households and businesses, as well as adaptations to the county’s waste management systems. The county has been running a pilot composting program for several years and now plans to increase participation and enhance its infrastructure.

Part of this effort includes allowing residents to “recycle” food scraps at the curbside, just as they do with glass, plastic, paper, and cardboard. The collected scraps would be transported to a central location, likely the Dickerson yard trim compost facility.

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Spotlight, Renewable Energy/Waste Disposal/Recycling, AgricultureSugarloaf CitizensComment
Montgomery County Council Approves Limited Camping in Ag Reserve
Montgomery County Council Approves Limited Camping in Ag Reserve

Updated August 12, 2024

The Montgomery County Council in late July approved a zoning ordinance that will allow some landowners in the Ag Reserve to host overnight guests in what will essentially be private campgrounds open to the public. The measure goes into affect August 19.

The new ordinance—called Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 24-02—was approved by the 11-member Council after eight months of debate that ended in a compromise, scaled-down version of an earlier proposal. That proposal drew broad opposition from farmers and Ag Reserve groups, including SCA.

The measure as passed has the following allowances, limits, and restrictions:

• Campgrounds can be on working farms only. Thus, entrepreneurs thinking about buying land in the Ag Reserve solely to develop a private campground would not be permitted to do so.

• Landowners must submit plans for a private campground to the county for evaluation under “conditional use” rules. That means County officials will evaluate each proposal on its own merits and “conditions” may be imposed depending on the specific needs of the property and neighborhood.

• A property must be at least 25 acres to qualify for a campground.

• A campground can encompass only 10% of a property’s total acreage, or 5 acres, whichever is smaller.

• Campsites don’t have to be clustered in one area. If spread out, however, they still must comply with the 10% or 5-acre limit

• A campground must be 100 feet from any neighboring property line.

• Properties of 25 to 100 acres can have up to 5 sites for tent or RV camping, or temporary removable structures such as yurts or small cabin on wheels.

• Properties larger than 100 acres can have up to 10 such sites, of which only 5 can be for RV camping.

• No tents, RVs, or removable structures are permitted in a stream buffer or floodplain, and cutting down trees to create a campground is prohibited.

• Temporary removable structures cannot be larger than 200 square feet.

• Such structures cannot have heating or air conditioning systems, kitchens or bathrooms. RVs can have such amenities.

• Property owners are not required to provide separate bathrooms, bathing facilities, or cooking facilities. If they do, those facilities must meet existing county codes, including those for septic systems, and be approved by county authorities.

• Guests can stay a maximum of 3 nights only.

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SpotlightSugarloaf CitizensComment
Data Centers and a New Era for the Dickerson Industrial Property
Data Centers and a New Era for the Dickerson Industrial Property

Updated August 30, 2024

The siting, construction, and operation of data centers have become contentious issues in the mid-Atlantic area. Northern Virginia is home to the highest concentration of data centers in the country (10 million square feet!), with residents increasingly concerned about the economic and environmental impact. Virginia lawmakers have recently hinted that the data center boom in that state may have run its course.

That has data center companies and developers eyeing the other side of the Potomac River. Two large-scale data center projects in Maryland—one in Montgomery County and the other in Frederick County—are now in various stages of development.

What is a data center?

Data center buildings contain tens of thousands of computers called servers that receive, store and transfer data. The internet could not function without data centers; they are “the cloud.” Data centers serve the needs of IT companies, tech-heavy industries and government—and everyone who uses the internet, smart phones, streaming services and the like. They are essential to the modern economy and modern life. A data center will also have sophisticated electrical, safety and cooling equipment. Data centers require an enormous amount of energy; they currently account for approximately 2% of all electricity use in the U.S. That’s expected to double by 2030, in large part due to the growth of artificial intelligence (AI).

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Conservation & Land Use/Zoning, SpotlightSugarloaf CitizensComment
SCA Supports Proposed White’s Ferry Deal
SCA Supports Proposed White’s Ferry Deal

April 29, 2024

After more than three years, a possible deal is in the works to reopen White’s Ferry. This is an unexpected and very promising development.

Before it stopped operating in December 2020, the ferry served as a vital and historic link between Virginia and northern Montgomery County for over 200 years. It was one of the oldest such car ferries in the country, the only remaining ferry running on the Potomac (of more than 100 that once operated), and the only river crossing in a 35-mile stretch between the American Legion Bridge and a bridge near Point of Rocks.

As such, White’s Ferry was an historic treasure as well as a functional service. Routine commuter and commercial traffic—between 600 and 800 cars a day—yielded benefits to both Virginia and Maryland communities.

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Announcements, SpotlightSCAComment
Protecting the Sugarloaf Mountain Area
Protecting the Sugarloaf Mountain Area

Updated January 6, 2024

On December 19, 2023, the Frederick County Council voted down a once-in-a-generation proposal to strengthen conservation and agricultural zoning on 19,700 acres in the southern part of the county.

The area in question in Frederick County is contiguous with Montgomery County’s Ag Reserve.  It encompasses 3,400-acre Sugarloaf Mountain and an additional 16,300 acres to the east of the mountain all the way to I-270.  

The vote came after a three-year process, which saw the Frederick County Council approve a comprehensive land-use plan—the Sugarloaf Mountain Treasured Landscape Management Plan—for the area in the fall of 2022.  The Council struggled, however, to come to political consensus and agreement in 2022 and again in 2023 on an accompanying zoning ordinance—called an “overlay”—that would implement and enforce the plan’s land-use guidance. 

That struggle occurred despite urging by Frederick County’s own planning commission and the Maryland’s Department of the Environment to approve the overlay. 

In a nutshell, the debate pitted environmental and civic groups (including SCA) against developers, real estate interests, and business groups. The latter prevailed in a county long bent on loosely regulated growth.      

The practical upshot is that the area’s existing zoning stays in place, with no updated conservation protections for natural resources, streams, trees or natural habitat— amid the known and unknown threats posed by climate change.    

Importantly, that existing zoning largely prevents commercial and dense housing development without explicit permission from Frederick County authorities.  But the failure of the Frederick County Council to enact the overlay opens up a path for developers and landowners to apply for zoning exemptions on a case-by-case basis.

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Conservation & Land Use/Zoning, SpotlightSCAComment
Montgomery County's Sole Source Aquifer - The Good Gift
Montgomery County's Sole Source Aquifer - The Good Gift

“Our aquifer is the bloodstream for all farmers in the Agricultural Reserve. It’s what sustains us.” Gene Kingsbury, Kingsbury’s Orchard

This article is excerpted from the Spring 2024 issue of Plenty Magazine.  We present the initial portion of the article. You may then link to Plenty’s website to read the remainder of the piece, and see the charts and photos that accompany it.

“Our aquifer is the bloodstream for all farmers in the Agricultural Reserve. It’s what sustains us.”
Gene Kingsbury, Kingsbury’s Orchard

More often than not, when asked, folks in the D.C. metro region do not really have a fix on where the water that flows from their faucets comes from. Sure, residents and businesses know that they pay mWashington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) for their water and sewage service, and they may know that the origin of their water is the mighty Potomac River. But as to the details—filtration plant operations, the infrastructure that delivers the water from plants to homes and businesses, what happens when there is prolonged drought, these bits are hardly known.

More mysterious to many is where roughly 25-30,000 homes, businesses and farm enterprises get their water from in the nearly one-third of Montgomery County that is wholly outside the WSSC service area by design. nd that if the story I aim to share in two parts.

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Spotlight, Renewable Energy/Waste Disposal/RecyclingSCAComment
Our Unfolding Food Emergency
Our Unfolding Food Emergency

This article is excerpted from the Autumn Harvest Season 2023 issue of Plenty Magazine.  We present the initial portion of the article. You may then link to Plenty’s website to read the remainder of the piece, and see the charts and photos that accompany it.

The Montgomery County Council was uniquely visionary in 1980 when it protected 90,000 acres, nearly one-third of the county, for agricultural purposes. Now is the time to create more opportunities in the Agricultural Reserve for robust food production.

Stepping into a supermarket in 2020 or 2021 was a surreal experience—and wearing masks was only one reason. Empty shelves glared out at us. Where were the neatly shrink-wrapped packages of chicken? Why were there no eggs to be had? Peanut butter was in short supply, as were coffee and milk. There were many factors behind these shortages, but according to the Center for Strategic Studies, “The U.S. Food supply chain is highly efficient with low levels of redundancy, meaning that a small disruption in one part of the system can have cascading effects and cause food shipments to be delayed by days or weeks.”

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AgricultureSugarloaf CitizensComment
Going Underground
Going Underground

“We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot.” Leonardo Da Vinci

This article is excerpted from the Spring 2024 issue of Plenty Magazine. We present the initial portion of the article. You may then link to Plenty’s website to read the remainder of the piece, and see the charts and photos that accompany it.

Stand outside during the tail end of winter and the local landscape is quiet, a palette of soft grays and browns—dormant-seeming, except for the scurrying of squirrels or a line of honking geese overhead. Deciduous trees are largely bare, apart from oaks and beeches, whose dead leaves cling to them for most of winter—a strategy dubbed marcescence—but that’s another story. No new sprigs of green, no burst of floral colors. By early March, many of us are desperate for spring, overflowing with signs of its rebirth.

But just below our feet lies an entire world whose activity barely shows all winter, a vital realm brimming with as much life, if not more, than we can see in plain sight. In reality, there are more living organisms in the soil than all the other life forms above ground! When we aren’t disrupting their work, the nourishment they help liberate is ready the moment the soil warms enough to activate growth in plants and to awaken seeds. In fact, “Soil is alive. Much more than a prop to hold up your plants, healthy soil is a jungle of voracious creatures eating and pooping and reproducing their way toward glorious soil fertility,” says Kathy Merrifield, a retired Oregon State University scientist.

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Agriculture, SpotlightEllen GordonComment
SCA is 2023 Recipient of Royce Hanson Award
SCA is 2023 Recipient of Royce Hanson Award

October 10, 2023

Great News! SCA is this year’s recipient of the Royce Hanson award. The award is given each year by Montgomery Countryside Alliance (MCA) “in recognition of outstanding commitment toward the protection of Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve.”

The award is named for its first recipient, Dr. Royce Hanson, former Chair of the Montgomery County Planning Commission and original architect of the Ag Reserve. You can view past winners, since 2005, here.

In its write-up on this year’s award, MCA said of SCA:

“Tenacious, and scrappy when needed, SCA is on the frontlines when ill-conceived land use proposals surface. But they are also forward thinking about the need to promote the Reserve’s role in climate change and food system resiliency. Their headquarters, Linden Farm in Dickerson, serves dual roles as community event/meeting space and home to an important regenerative farming pilot. No doubt that the Reserve’s future vibrancy will rely on the continued work of SCA and their resourceful and dedicated members.”

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AnnouncementsSCARoyce Hanson Award, awardsComment
Probing Toxic Chemicals in the Ag Reserve
Probing Toxic Chemicals in the Ag Reserve

A class of toxic chemicals called PFAS can contaminate water, farmland, wells, and crops.  These chemicals have been linked to cancer and other diseases and do not break down in the environment.  An organization called PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) is leading an effort to probe whether PFAS chemicals are present—and if so, to what degree—on Ag Reserve land and in water sources.  

Testing to date has yielded concerning results. Levels of several forms of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances of which there are thousands) are substantially higher than EPA recommended quantities in drinking water in Poolesville. As a result, the town closed two of its 12 wells. These concerning results also led SCA and Montgomery Countryside Alliance (MCA) to join PEER in January in calling on Montgomery County officials to prohibit the use of certain PFAS-containing fertilizers, called biosolids, on county agricultural land—to prevent further contamination of ground and surface waters.  

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Renewable Energy/Waste Disposal/RecyclingSCAComment
Supporting Regenerative Agriculture
Supporting Regenerative Agriculture

SCA is a strong advocate for regenerative agriculture (regen ag). What is that?  It’s an umbrella term referring to an array of agricultural management and production practices that aim to: improve soil; sustain arable farmland; sequester carbon; increase biodiversity; provide healthy forage for farm animals; reduce the use of agricultural chemicals; and promote the growth of high-quality food.  

Regen ag can also help increase food security and climate resiliency amid the challenges of climate change.  Changing weather patterns and extreme weather events are expected to put many food-growing areas in the U.S. at risk. Improved soils hold water better, in flood and drought.  Increasing the amount of food grown locally will help ensure adequate crop growth and food supply. And it will protect against supply chain disruptions, such as those the occurred during the pandemic. Regen ag can also increase the sequestration of carbon in soils.

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AgricultureSCA Comment
Testing Agrivoltaics in the Ag Reserve
Testing Agrivoltaics in the Ag Reserve

January 5, 2024

“Agrivoltaics,” is a new buzzword in solar energy circles. The term applies to land used for agriculture (“agri”) and for generating solar energy (“voltaics”) by solar panels. Agrivoltaics can refer to just a few solar panels mounted on ground-based structures (as opposed to rooftops) or a whole field of them, with crops or animals grazing underneath.

A successful agrivoltaic project has some type of farming thriving adjacent to or under the panels, with the panels generating sufficient power to justify the economics of constructing and installing them. That can be a tall order—but not an impossible one. Agrivoltaics projects are very much in the research phase. The approach is not a fully proven yet, though it’s being viewed as workable under the right circumstances. For now, much of what’s known about agrivoltaics has come from research in dry areas in the western U.S. Some of these areas are sunnier and hotter than the Mid-Atlantic region in the summer and colder in the winter. Thus, agrivoltaic projects that are successful out west aren’t necessarily relevant to the Mid-Atlantic.

Other concerns and potential downsides are emerging. Ground solar panels can disturb and compact soil. They also decrease the amount of sun that reaches plants, affecting photosynthesis. And ground panels can adversely affect how much rain reaches plants and in what pattern. For example, run-off from panels can cause water to pool in some areas. Another practical concern is how farmers get equipment in and around ground panels. All these issues, and others, are being studied. 

Agrivoltaic proposals for the Ag Reserve

In 2020, Montgomery County adopted a zoning change that allowed solar arrays on land zoned for agriculture in Montgomery’s County’s Ag Reserve. The measure was a compromise. It recognized the need to generate more renewable energy in the county while at the same time preserving farming, especially on the county’s best soils. The measure also encouraged more production of rooftop solar. It increased the allowable amount of solar production for landowners from 120% of their personal use to 200%. That meant people could sell any excess solar electricity they generated back into the electricity grid. Community solar arrays, which are smaller than “utility scale” arrays, are also allowed under the measure. They can produce up to 2 megawatts of electricity, and generally require 10 to 12 acres of land. Importantly, placing solar arrays on farming soils designated class 1 or class 2 (high quality soils) is prohibited.

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Renewable Energy/Waste Disposal/RecyclingEllen GordonComment