Dredging near Tradepoint Atlantic raises environmental concerns | READER COMMENTARY

When it comes to the question of reopening Hart-Miller Island for disposal of Tradepoint Atlantic’s dredged material, we cannot forget the communities living near the dredge site themselves (“State may reopen Hart-Miller Island for dredged materials from planned Tradepoint terminal,” May 8).

As recently reported by The Baltimore Sun, legislation was passed in the Maryland General Assembly to address the impacts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse including accelerating dredging to open the Tradepoint Atlantic container terminal which is outside the safety closure area and remains accessible for trade.

The legislation includes the possibility of reopening Hart-Miller Island for the disposal of that dredge material — a practice that was previously discontinued in 2009 amid an influx of community concern. If Hart-Miller is reopened to dredge, the legislation requires a community benefits agreement be developed in consultation with the Hart-Miller-Pleasure Island Citizens Oversight Committee. However, this committee does not include representatives from communities near Tradepoint Atlantic, the source of the dredged material, such as Dundalk and Turner Station. Without representation of all communities affected, these agreements may not equitably address the negative risks of dredging both at the source and the disposal site.

The sediment around Tradepoint Atlantic has been polluted for decades from the operations of Bethlehem Steel. Dredging up the contaminated sediment could stir up harmful metals and legacy pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chromium. With frequent flooding that occurs in Dundalk and Turner Station, risk of exposure via floodwater contact to these toxic pollutants is high.

While a benefits agreement might produce benefits for some residents living around the island, others may not feel adequately protected by the agreement process. There are still threats of additional sediment polluting local waterways similar to the concerns Hart-Miller Island community members voiced in 2009. And they won’t be the only ones affected. Residents near Tradepoint Atlantic have endured countless environmental injustices over the years and should be included in negotiations for this project’s community benefits agreement.

— Gussie Maguire, Annapolis

The writer is Maryland staff scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

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