Developments...and concerns

Is the Chesapeake Bay in danger because of three ethanol plants that could (and in one case, is) be constructed in Maryland?

First of all: this blogger has some good points that I think you should read.

Second of all: Is the supply of corn for corn-sourced ethanol running low already?

Now, back to the bay. In May of 2007, the state of Maryland approved the construction of a $136 million ethanol plant in the Curtis Bay area of Baltimore. The plant, expected to have a production capacity of 52 million gallons a year, will be built off of Pennington Avenue in Baltimore. After hearing the news, residents immediately pointed out that the Curtis Bay area already has too much air pollution. The residents cited other concerns that the plant will produce a bad odor, and that it will attract rats from the corn used to produce the ethanol. Officials were quick to allay these fears, but they are valid fears nonetheless.

Other sites being considered for the construction of an ethanol plant is in Sparrows Point, MD as well as on the eastern shore of Maryland, in Somerset County. Officials for the three companies interested in all three sites (Atlantic Ethanol, LLC being one of those) are not addressing as well as they should the environmental concerns in regards to the construction of ethanol plants in Maryland.

Will the plants produce increased pollution in Baltimore (adding to the city's preexisting problems)? Will there be runoff from these plants? Will the prospective plant on the eastern shore be cost effective? (It will receive its supply of corn from the midwest.) All these are questions that need to be answered.

I get the feeling that there is a great deal of haste involved here. Government and business officials are so quick to leap onto the E85 bandwagon that they are (seemingly) not considering what could happen if they hurry and slap these three ethanol production plants in Maryland. The construction for the Curtis Bay plant could begin as soon as the year 2008. Is that enough time to allay the fears of people in this state?

I hope that I am not seeming like too much of an alarmist here. I am all for finding alternative sources of fuel. I just am trying to point out things that I do not think are getting mentioned enough, such as the environmental impact of these three plants.

Something to think about:

If you found out that an ethanol plant was going up close to where you live, what would your reaction be?