Maryland officials deny permit for solar farm that Georgetown University wanted to build

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Maryland Politics
Maryland officials deny permit for solar farm that Georgetown University wanted to build

By Rachel Chason, Reporter covering local politics
August 29 at 8:32 AM

Maryland environment secretary Ben Grumbles has denied a permit for a controversial solar farm project that Georgetown University wanted to build in rural Charles County, Md.

The project required razing about 210 acres of trees, which angered local activists. Protesters at public hearings hosted by Grumbles argued that while they applauded Georgetown’s goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, the project would actually harm the environment by endangering birds and causing runoff that would damage tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay.

Grumbles said in a statement Wednesday that “water quality-related conditions” were not met at the site, a rural area about 12 miles west of La Plata. ... “While Maryland strongly supports the increased use of clean and renewable energy sources, these two proposed projects would harm the nearby high-quality stream in Charles County and threaten our continued restoration progress in the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” Grumbles said. “This is an unacceptable trade-off for the environmental benefits of clean energy.”

Representatives from Georgetown University and Origis Energy, the firm hired to develop the solar farm, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The project would have provided almost half of the university’s electricity.
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Rachel is a metro reporter covering local politics. She has previously contributed to The Raleigh News and Observer, CNN Politics and USA Today. Follow https://twitter.com/rachel_chason