On Monday night, Federalsburg’s Mayor and Town Council approved and signed a letter to the Maryland Department of the Environment asking the agency to deny a discharge permit for AquaCon’s proposed fish factory in the Eastern Shore town.
The town officials noted in their letter that numerous questions and concerns related to the permit have been unanswered by AquaCon and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), which tentatively approved the permit for the facility earlier this year. The local officials fear the proposed facility could put Federalsburg residents “at risk” if those issues aren’t addressed. If MDE doesn’t deny the permit, the town officials requested the state to at the very least extend its review until the questions are "sufficiently addressed.”
CBF continues to advocate against AquaCon’s proposal to discharge 2.3 million gallons of tainted wastewater into Marshyhope Creek. The discharge would threaten the river’s endangered Atlantic sturgeon population and the health of the Chesapeake Bay if MDE’s permit as drafted is approved and the proposed facility is built.
CBF urges residents interested in sharing their thoughts about the draft permit to submit written comments to MDE by October 17.
CBF’s Eastern Shore Director Alan Girard issued the following statement:
“Federalsburg residents have made it clear that they overwhelmingly oppose MDE’s draft permit and now the town has responded. CBF appreciates the town’s unequivocal call for MDE to deny the permit unless the town and residents’ concerns are addressed. We urge state leaders to heed the call of residents who fear their local river and town will be irreversibly harmed if this fish factory is built. It’s time for MDE to deny this grossly deficient permit.”
