By Jacob Wallace, Waste Dive
The U.S. EPA will investigate a civil rights complaint filed against Baltimore City and its Department of Public Works over their 10-year solid waste management plan. A complaint filed with the federal agency alleged the plan, which anticipated the continued operation of a mass burn combustion facility run by WIN Waste Innovations, disproportionately impacts nearby communities.
The EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights is looking into the case. The office enforces federal civil rights law with entities that receive federal funding, which includes the city and its department.
The complaint was filed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Environmental Integrity Project on behalf of the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. The filers allege that the city has abdicated its responsibility to reduce the pollution faced by people in the South Baltimore communities of Cherry Hill, Mt. Winans, Brooklyn, Lakeland, Westport and Curtis Bay, which are predominantly Black and Hispanic.
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Baltimore City leaders supported the development of a zero waste plan that was published in 2020 and included a goal to divert 90% of materials from “burning or burying” by 2040. That plan was supported by Mayor Brandon Scott, but just before he took office, his predecessor closed a deal with WIN Waste to keep the mass burn facility running into 2031.
The contract renewal was the latest in a decades-long debate about whether the city should move away from incineration. Most recently, the city passed a law that would have enacted strict air pollution controls on the facility, only to have it overturned later in court. The resulting settlement agreement led to the upgrades made by WIN.
Environmental justice advocates in Baltimore have long fought the impacts of the WTE facility, commonly known as BRESCO. Their complaint argues the latest improvements made by WIN are insufficient to address the harms experienced by disadvantaged communities.
