The biggest story of the year is featured on this week’s OPEN AGENDA (S2 Ep10). The Court of Appeals just ruled against the County Executive, exposing malfeasance, misappropriations and malice. Also, you won’t want to miss compelling interviews with spokespersons for homeowners affected by the illicit biofuel refinery, and the perspectives on this issue from one of the county’s most prominent farmers. Tune in and be informed.
Open Agenda S2 E10 Biorefinery and Appellate Court Ruling
Show Transcript
Disclaimer: The following transcript was auto-generated and may contain spelling or contextual errors.
you're watching open
Agenda welcome to open Agenda I'm your
host Joe White in this week's episode
we're going to give you an update on the
county business for the week of March
6th
2025 as well as spend some time with a a
local farmer and some residents of the
Canterbury area neighborhoods to talk
about the biodiesel Refinery that's
going to come before the board of
appeals at the end of March in studio
with me is Dr Joe venosa Mr Mike
Goldberg thank you gentlemen for coming
out always a pleasure so uh just today
uh today being on our record day is is
Thursday March 6th we just received a uh
a press release in the morning from the
County Council and a rebuttal from the
county executive later in that afternoon
we'll talk about that in a minute Mike
uh what what is uh what is the County
Council uh press release and how does it
pertain to the court case against them
and the county executive uh there had
been a lawsuit that was heard uh
initially in the uh circuit court and
then uh thereafter in the uh Maryland
court of appeals with regard to uh the
legitimacy of the Deputy director's
employment and this and this court case
was filed by the county executive in
November of 2023 against the County
Council and heard in December of 23 yes
that that's correct so the appell at
court decision decision uh was just
released uh yesterday on um March the
5th uh that ruled in favor of the County
Council and against the county executive
so Joe why exactly did the county
executive have to sue the county Council
uh over the deputy director's position
and amongst other things well to sort of
simplified for the public there's a
there's a specific process in our County
Charter right and our County Charter is
basically the constitution of w Comico
County uh it it required her to submit a
name in a legislative session she did
not do that the executive presented two
names to the County Council in a closed
session that was the request of the
executive it wasn't a case where the exe
where it was requested and the president
of the council said no we're not going
to put it in a legislative session never
happened it was requested by a closed
session and that as a courtesy that's
what the council did they met with the
executive on two different occasions in
reference to these two employees uh
unfortunately the council they were
reasons there were very good reasons
that the council did not feel it was
necessary it it was the best interest of
the county to move forward with these
two individuals just didn't feel they
were properly
qualified that was six out of seven
members of the council that felt that so
you have two people that were hired that
had not been approved through the
process where the County Council is
required to approve this um the
executive made the comment tonight that
one was hired as an acting deputy
director and the council didn't even
have any authority to say one way or the
other whether that person was authorized
well that's because the position of an
acting deputy director doesn't exist in
white Comico County there are no acting
deputy director positions recognized in
any documentation throughout W Comico
County because there's no such thing we
recognize a director we recognize a
deputy director we recognize an acting
director there is no recognition this is
a position that was simply made up I
just just so it said obviously I I made
this point before but if if the two
names that were put up forward were put
forward tonight they would be shot down
again and we voted on that in the 2016
referendum yes and that referendum was
written by our current County attorney
Paul Wilbur right yes yes there's an
irony to this so long story short uh
there was a dispute whether or not this
deputy director was a legal hire was he
working illegally that 2000 in 2016 I
believe it was the uh the P the General
Public had the right to vote on a
referendum uh to approve a change to the
Charter to amend the county Charter to
extend the time for the council to act
to confirm or reject any appointment by
the county executive of the director
Administration the head of department
and the executive branch or a member of
the Border commission from 30 days to 45
days uh uh from submission and to
require submission at a legislative
session of the council and that came
about because of some issues that
occurred before
2016 well and Mike we're not going to
mention this person's name uh they to
our knowledge they've done nothing wrong
themselves um but in the course of a
year and eight months um the salary of
$120,000 a year equates out to just
about
$200,000 um and it wasn't just this one
appointee we had at the same time
another another appointee that wasn't
confirmed and that that person since
vacated their position and they were a I
think it was acting Public Works
director which is not a position that
even exists uh the County council at
that time because the county executive
refused to to uh remove these people
from these positions elected to defund
the positions right that's correct um
the County Council feels like it's only
real option in order to make sure that
we get um uh the only real option that
we have is basically to decide to pull
the
funding temporarily until
uh we can actually have different
nominees put forward so um now in the
press release what's the kind of
language that the County Council is
using I mean what is their assertation
as far as the culpability of the county
executive well they are alluding to the
possibility that uh the county executive
or the um perhaps the Director of
Finance who actually for lack of a
better term wrote the paychecks for a
position that was um deemed to be
illegitimate by the appell at court that
they have personal liability in other
words they may actually be found to uh
and be caused to uh pay back that money
$200,000 and it could be you know even
more than that the cost legal fees which
are probably pretty significant so what
if I'm joke public not just choosa and
I'm looking at this the simplified sort
of situation is that right now
County Executive Julie jordano and
finance director Pam Oland could
possibly be personally liable for more
than probably $400,000 at this point I
don't think it's that high well if we
count court costs well we don't know
that they're that high okay several
several hundred, okay now okay but we
need due process here right I mean we
need more than just uh a a press release
because we've seen this before uh with
the Count Council you know this is a
pretty big assertion and this isn't
their money either this is our money you
scheduled a meeting to deliver a letter
to me calling me a potential criminal
who may have misappropriated funds 3
weeks into office I think I reluctantly
have to respond to a comment that was
made earlier that the executive had made
the claim that I had called her a
criminal when we' only been in office
for about about a month or so uh it's a
bit of an exaggeration if not actually a
really false statement
uh but to give you some context this
background is context so you recognize
what the circumstances were
here I'd say within the first month of
getting in office uh we were all new new
and the executive hired two members from
her campaign to work in her office not a
crime the only problem is that the two
positions were two positions that were
not recognized in the position control
document of white Comico County in other
words those jobs didn't exist in white
Comico County and were not funded in
white Comico County
still they were arbitrarily added to her
staff one was called a Legislative
Assistant the other one was called a
public information officer so you had
two people who were being hired with
taxpayer funding and two positions
unilaterally unilaterally created by the
executive making matters uh worse in
that regard is that the executive chose
to pay these two individuals not from
the uh not from the county Executives
budget one was paid from the roads
Department from the public works and the
other one was getting paid with a check
through the finance
department not through the county
executive's office so you had a
situation where you had two unauthorized
individuals working in a non-existent
position and being paid with money from
two other County departments rather than
through the executives approved budget
and it is it is as was claimed a
misappropriation of funds and that's
what it is it's just a misappropriation
of funds and that's the initi that's the
initiative that I took on behalf of the
County Council and that was the purpose
of the letter that went out well but
forget the money for a moment right I if
this ruling right which has now come out
and the County Council statements about
malfant and these agous violations are
true according to our Charter they have
the ability if not the duty to actually
of course continue to push for personal
liability I'm not I'm not going to sit
here and say that I know that this money
is owed back to us by by any individual
or any individual elected or not should
be removed from office but the County
Council has put it out there that they
believe something happened shouldn't
there be a public due process the the
county executive came back and asked for
money for legal fees to sue the council
so we can sue ourselves this is where
some of this Mal vence of money comes
from the County Council publicly said no
we're not going to give you money to sue
us and there was this big upward there
was many people angry there people
asking for resignations of the County
Council they were very
angry the county executive still filed a
a a court case against them so the
county executive is the one who filed or
sued the county itself this did not come
from the County Council this came from
the county executive she could have
simply removed those two people from
their positions one of them at the same
time resigned just like she had to do
with the two folks earlier in the year
who weren't even on the budget control
document at all then by November the
pellet the the First Circuit Court uh uh
ruling came out that said that sided
with the county executive based on a
county Charter that was before 2016 and
I'm sorry there's no way the county
attorney didn't know that that Charter
was the wrong one cited cuz he wrote it
he wrote it and he wrote the referendum
and this County attorney only works for
the county executive um the opinion um
was entered by the court and the bottom
line of the opinion was that it found in
favor of the County uh executive but
when we analyze the opinion it recited
um section
315 um
incorrectly uh it picked up what
apparently was well a version prior to
2016 filed a motion to to alter or
revise the opinion but this is what I
have placed in the uh in our motion to
alter or revise and what I've done in
there is I've highlighted in italics and
I've also highlighted in yellow the
words that the court failed to include
in its opinion and now now you go year
and eight months later and again this
has nothing to do with the man who took
the position but the taxpayers money
went to to nothing and we should
remember one other thing and this got
brought up in public comments at the
hearings the person who was in the
deputy Department's position was not a w
Comico County resident and in order for
a succession plan with the deputy
director of administration which is only
appointed by the county executive that
person must be a resident in W Comico
County so had our County our director of
administration left the deputy director
is not eligible to step into that role
for any reason which was one of several
different justifications for the County
Council to have rejected his
confirmation well if we're going to go
through the process of suing ourselves
and paying people who aren't confirmed I
think the public at least deserves
public hearings about exactly what
happened and who is responsible because
somewhere along the lines the eight
elected officials we have in this
County this is what's happened and these
are the eight people who are responsible
to us as voters about the results of the
work so all the conservatives out here
in the um in our County so she pays she
pays those two
people out of other
departments now how can you
have correct financing practices how can
we have correct Financial
procedures when you're paying people out
of the wrong Department to fulfill a job
I just hope they do their jobs fulfill
their obligations to act as the check
and balance on the executive branch
otherwise we if you're not going to do
the most basic job of your of the oath
that you swore which is to follow in
this case the county Charter I mean you
follow the Constitution but our County
Constitution is the charter if you can't
do that you shouldn't be on that Council
I don't care who you are your party your
views your abilities you shouldn't be in
that position if you can't do the most
basic thing so so tell us what exactly
did the county executive put in her
press release that was released around
noon on Thursday March 6th well there
was a lot of Ric that's for sure but one
thing that um certainly has jumped out
at me where she stated that the court
clearly stated uh who has been serving
as assistant director of administration
since June 26 2023 is entitled to his
salary until the effective date of our
being the a public Court's mandate and
really nobody's disputing that I he
hasn't done anything he's not liable to
pay back absolutely not I mean I think
they made that Crystal Clear in the
ruling it's not his fault if uh if the
government improperly employed him you
know so there there what he did was in
good faith so there's no dispute on that
but the issue is is that the executive
branch of government was not authorized
to pay him so by the fact that they were
writing the paychecks that's where for
lack of
the crime was so but that's what the
charter says I have to do and so I
follow the charter and that's what I've
done this entire time is followed this
Charter if you've got somebody who is
committing a crime in public repeatedly
repeatedly okay and you have an officer
who's watching it and doing nothing at
what point that's deric D der of Duty so
at what point if now we've got four
documented examples where the
executive's office has specifically
tried to either usurp or use fraudulent
means to move positions and money around
and now we've got a Court ruling right
on record stating so for a major
egregious violation at what point does
the County Council actually have to do
their constitutionally bound job th this
is where and and the quote the county
executive this is why we have separation
of powers but this is this is what keeps
checks and balances in place so why be
why be an elected office as a council
person if you're not going to do your
job I guess is is the question and again
I'm not I'm not personally going after
anybody but I'm I'm I'm legitimately
asking this right as a philosopical
question about the nature of the role
you're elected to if your job is to be a
check on an executive and to follow
right the stipulations of the charter
and you don't do that why are you there
and you know I think one thing that
folks out there watching the show need
to remember and and like you and I
politically we may very much align with
the county executive on on many politics
especially National stuff but that
doesn't mean that the next County
Executive will be someone we're not as
politically aligned with and if the
rules are only meant to be there when
it's convenient yeah who cares if you
align on other issues yeah if the if the
law is being broken and the position's
being abused and we again are following
let's assume again following rules and
the charter is not being followed so we
we will give updates next week uh we'll
also update on some of the County
Business that happened the The veto
override was was elected was chosen 7 to
zero yeah unanimously um so the the the
uh Board of Ethics will get independent
Council uh despite the executives veto
of that legislation uh we'll we'll give
plenty of other updates and we'll update
everybody on this in the in the rest of
this episode we're actually going to
bring some folks in with with another
very important topic that's coming up is
is the biodiesel Refinery that's out
near Atkins Mill in Old Hickory Road uh
this is going to go up to the board of
appeals at the end of March it's also a
public hearing and uh it's interesting
to see how much of a role the state has
played but also how much uh how
important the County government uh in
that zoning process will actually play
for those people uh as as as their their
uh issue plays out in publicum and can I
insert one more thing on a slightly
different topic the um at the last
council meeting held earlier this this
week uh we had anticipated that there
would be a representative from do Marva
power to uh speak about the high power
bills and a lot the people have reached
out to to all of us on this issue
unfortunately the uh the spokesperson
from DP and from dpnl delmare of Power
and Light um was became ill shortly
before the uh the council meeting so
they were unable to attend so we've got
nothing to update you on this week but
hopefully at the next council meeting uh
a representative from Del Marv power
will be there and we'll be able to do
some more updates on the high cost of
your electricity I would anticipate we
probably wouldn't see them come back for
actually another meeting after that uh
we have been told um that at the at the
next County council meeting we should
see the the fiscal year 24 audit
presented um and and I I want to speak
one thing about that we you know we've
been very vocal about that as well um
again just like in in the situation with
this uh deputy director of
administration
this do not go to the the the wonderful
job that the folks in the finance
department do on a daily basis uh you
know working so hard we know that their
numbers are posted we we understand that
now but as as taxpayers in the county
Charter it does say that we're that
there that those numbers are to be
audited not not to prove that they
didn't do their job but to prove that
our elected officials did what they said
they were going to do and that's just
not not done it's about where the buck
stops and it's a customary and ordinary
business practice whether it's the
business of government or in the private
sector you do annual allit and and I
think that this is this goes to maybe
some of the some of the other issues we
have brought up this one's going to be
three months late and we were told well
historically the last 10 years they've
been two months late it doesn't get
better unless people start to raise
their hands I mean if we let it go four
months late that means literally we will
we will have a a budget proposed at the
same time that an audit from two years
ago comes about and that won't work we
at that point we'll be spending money we
don't that's just that's just insane so
it's just time for for folks to stand up
and say hey this is what the charter
says so either change the charter or
change the process well when we come
back going to sit down with Lee
Richardson a farmer on the east side of
WAMU County and get a good sense of just
how the the Farm Bureau the farming
Community rally around uh Community
against the biodiesel Refinery so stay
with us we'll be right
back welcome to open Agenda I'm your
host Joe White want to take some time to
just really get a sense for the local
community around the biodiesel Refinery
on the west side of lamico County just
how it impacts their lives maybe their
property values and just what their
goals are for the the board of appeals
that's going to come up in March in the
studio with me is Joe Diggs and Rhonda
Tempco ladies thank you for for joining
me thank you thanks for having us yes
indeed so Rhonda you you own little hoof
Farm over on the west side yeah we uh
live on Log Cabin Road uh we have a
small business small family business um
selling you know eggs and our baked
goods
sourdough um and we moved there four
years ago intentionally to be in that
community so okay and you're about a
mile from the buer yeah as the crow
flies were actually less than 3/4 of a
mile yeah
and Joe you're you actually live on
Atkins Road the same road that this I do
been there for 25 years I'm about a
quarter of Mile less than a quarter of a
mile from the bio Refinery so I want to
ask each of you uh when did you come
become aware that this uh Refinery was
on in near your properties was around
June I started noticing some building
going up back there some new wood going
up but you know you ride by you just
take notice never thought anything too
strange about it then I saw it closed in
like in August and it was huge so I said
wow that's some storage building there
yeah but then it had this big high roof
in the middle and I'm like I started
asking questions you know and being a
little more you know obvious of what's
going on and some uh contacts we have
from few years ago when we were uh
having like 13 Kos to be built around
the corner from us on Northwest road so
so Kayo is a concentrated Animal Farm
correct okay so some people out there
may not know that but but basically
that's a state permit that you're going
to have a certain number of chickens or
pigs or whatever and on agriculture land
correct right okay and you saw influx of
applications for that well a contact
that I I know uh Monica Brooks She's
she's very observant of anything
Environmental and uh she contacted us
and said hey uh somebody in your area
put in for a air permit so that raised a
lot of questions because that's not
something that normally a a farm would
have to do to to do farming operations
on their property correct correct
correct so when did you find out about
it Rhonda I found out about it just I
want to say right around Christmas time
okay um because the residents over in
Canterbury worked really hard to try and
make sure that people in the immediate
area knew what was going on because it
had flown under everyone's radar and so
they created a Facebook group invited us
Joe came over and we talked about it and
so we've been working for the last 6
eight weeks to try and create awareness
about this because it literally was an
enigma well what are some of the ways
you have created awareness about this uh
well we've used the private Facebook
group for the Neighbors um what is your
Facebook group uh it's families not
refineries that's the group um is it a
public or you have it's a private group
you have to be invited to it um but if
people are interested they can let us
know um because our goal is really to
make this more than a canterberry issue
this is a a County Regional Eastern
Shore minimally issue and so um we knew
we were going to the council meeting
last month we showed up to you know
share a few of us showed up to share
this month on Tuesday night we had
probably close to 20 people come to
share and give
testimony and so um I made a post on my
personal page and then shared it on my
farm business page and shared it in the
local one of the local Town pages I was
at the uh this the second meeting in
February um and during public comments
several of of your neighbors uh did
speak out against it and I saw on pack
14 I wasn't at this last meeting but I
saw on pack 14 that there was well over
a dozen folks who who took public
comments at the time um Joe I want to
get a sense of is there other means that
you've gotten information out there to
folks besides just speaking to the I
mean because the County Council actually
doesn't do any of the approval but it is
a vehicle for you to express your
concerns in the community but what other
means have you used well once we
realized what was proposed to be built
there um my nextd door neighbor and I
Melissa we we got a petition written up
and we went around the like a mile
radius around this proposed area and I
guar guarantee it 95% of the residents
had no idea about this but cuz there
wasn't permit permits put on the
property saying that there was a hearing
or anything for this no public notice
whatsoever was provided now what kind of
response did you get from the county was
it hard to get because eventually they
did get a stop work order what was that
process and and and what was your
success rate with that well once we
started contact the plan and his zon in
trying to get more information you know
about the permit what was what was
applied for you know we were told that
it was just for a storage a building and
that uh it was sold to them as an
existing chicken farm which it was an
existing chicken farm but there's been
no chickens on that farm for years so it
wasn't active right okay so that was
kind of misleading but uh once we
started contacting them telling them
that hey something's off here this is
more than you know just a storage
building they sent the building
inspector out he came out and
you know couple I think the second time
he came out there he realized oh no this
is this is something manufacturing
industrial and he contacted his boss and
uh they eventually put a stop work order
what so why why do you think it wasn't
stopped the first time were they not far
enough along on the building process or
I think that's that's the truth I think
they were just riding by see and
assuming it was going to be you know
what they applied for but then uh when
they started looking closer you know cuz
we were making noise they they looked
they saw a concrete floor they saw a
drain in the floor they saw
heavy uh racks to move like cream
moving what's the significant machery
what's the significance of the tanker
trucks that are on the
property well in order for him to the
permit that he got from mde which is the
Maryland Department of environment which
he got in June of 202 24 we've got the
copies of it now it uh it shows that
this is going to be a Refinery and it's
going to operate 24 hours a day 7 days a
week and he will be trucking poultry
litter from all around to this Refinery
so they bring poultry litter in exactly
Ronda what comes out so the proposal
that he's written up very extensively
about is the end product is two things
biochar and biofuel what's biochar
so biochar is a product that is comes
out of high compression high temperature
approximately 1,000 degrees in an
oxygen-free environment the same way you
make CH charcoal for wood um but they
take this poultry litter it can be any
organic matter whatsoever but in this
case it's proposed to be poultry letter
for the first year they burn it it
condenses down and concentrates all the
nutrients and the organic matter things
like um phosphorus carbon that's that's
the main point of it is to sequester
carbon okay and then um repackage that
and sell it as a
fertilizer the other result is biog gas
now when you go to in bio's website
which is the company that's doing this
project there you can't find anything
about it so I had to go pull up the
original Grant proposal um and that's
how I have an understanding biofuel is
supposed to be marketed to um as
airplane fuel as truck and car fuel as
Machinery fuel um but there's not a
market for it yet because it's a new
product well the biochar itself I mean
if it's concentrated in phosphorus
that's a highly regulated nutrient
correct and uh now we're asking for for
what a lot of folks would consider a
pollutant and and farmers use it very
judiciously to be actually processed
right next to your homes yeah uh outside
of this project I mean how many other
Farms have you ever registered a
complaint about zero no I love farming I
am a small farmer so you're not
attacking Farmers or they to farm we
have a lot of friends that are farmers
okay you know commercial EG farmers and
you know we might in the neighborhood
all have differing views we all might be
coming to this with you know different
fights the reality is this is about a
company that has falsified intentions
and not been clear and when we went to
to the council meeting this past Tuesday
night to voice our concerns I feel that
the council this is my interpretation
the council was really generous and
actually responded to the public
statements that night and it's very
clear to me that this didn't this didn't
get snuck in by the county no they were
completely ignorant as we were I think
they were blindsided and this gentleman
took
Liberty to file for per perits and
construct different than what he filed
for well and and the whole construction
by our understanding is about $7 million
is that is that an accurate amount oh no
his project is a total of 40 million in
the end expense now the funding at this
point is a little over 3 million okay so
he's got money in it too okay he's uh
got Investments and he's got other
investors involved in this company how
do you I mean so Raj KRA is is the
gentleman who owns this property but
he's also on the state Agriculture
Commission do you think that that plays
I I actually looked it up I believe I
read that yesterday looking so I'm sorry
can you restate that he's on the
Maryland Agriculture Commission which is
um you know state of Maryland his his
his specialty is by bofu okay so his
grant funding is from the Department of
Agriculture so do you see this as a
potential we don't know is it a
potential conflict of interest if what
you've said is true combined with what
we know about the grand funding I'm I'm
obviously shocked as a taxpayer I'm
obviously and I would think that would
be a conflict of interest too I I I know
you got the first grant for $1.2 million
and that was to build a bio
Refinery just this one in Willards on
the chesnik Farm property now and we're
aware of that one as well although it's
not active it's not active we're trying
to make sure everybody understands
there's not one in Willards there not
one in Willards but the building is
there yeah but uh for some reason things
went South and he he relocated and the
state gave him another $1.8 million to
relocate he moved all the equipment from
the chesnet property but that building
is there so it's like taxpayer money
just got so what are you hoping that
what are you hoping that outcome is at
the board of appeals at the end of March
it's a public hearing by the way right
so I I feel you know I'm giving the
grace and the understanding of of seeing
their reactions on Tuesday night when we
were there I expect that the planning
and zoning committee feels the same way
he's been he's issued a stop work order
because he's operating in indust
industry in an residential agricultural
Zone and so you can't do industry you
have to be in an industrial Zone and so
I don't see how the County Planning and
Zoning could Grant his appeal because
he's not changing his usage well and and
and we've done some other shows about
this Planning and Zoning is different
than the board of appeals M so uh he's
not actually going to be seen by the
planning and Z commission so the board
of appeals the board of appeals I
believe his his argument is actually
against the plan in his own and because
his argument and the reason he got a
lawyer is to argue that their decision
is incorrect right that he can actually
have an industrial planetone would have
to go back and do a text Amendment
change to Grant this as indust light
industri or industrial land
uh now we've seen that process in
Salsbury play out with not the most
transparent fashion I mean I could when
they did the zoning density change uh
many of us were there spoke out against
it um lots of testimony against it and
then it was immediate vote and and six
to1 to to move it along uh I think in
your case you know if if the plan if the
board of appeals which is which is which
could Grant an exception not likely to
uh there's probably going to be a law
well let's discuss the specifics of that
so this building that he's erected is
193 ft from the property line of his
neighbors his neighbor's well head is 25
ft from that line oh wow so the building
and the industry the plant which he CLS
it a plant is less than 225 ft from a
neighbor's Wellhead and it's right on
top of the pelo CH yeah and when I
needed to redo my septic system I needed
to be2 F feet from wellhe heads for my
house so and you're not producing
biochar right no no it's just four of us
that live there so you know I
feel one of the things that I think has
come out of this for me is it's really
important for us to understand local and
County Civics to be involved in the
process to understand who's responsible
for what decisions how did we get to
this place um and I'm hopeful that
because we're able to get on platforms
like this and have a voice that it this
will be bigger than canterberry Log
Cabin Road you know Hickory Mill because
it's if if he is granted the ability to
complete and run this plant his plans
are to put five more in this immediate
area oh so it come into a neighborhood
near you yeah right
and if he doesn't complete this plant I
am certain that his intentions would be
to put it somewhere else in this region
because that's where his funding is for
this region well have either of you
reached out to your local delegation as
as state senators or delegates made
aware I got I got a response back from
Andy Harris's office okay you're congrat
Congress and and and basically just told
us how we could pursue it which is what
we're doing and who we should contact
well I will tell you one of the nice
things about having uh participation in
local County government is I can tell
you our local delegation which is our
state senators and state delegates Mary
Beth carosa uh I'm yeah y sample Hughes
will be there they will come to our
County Council sometime the first week
of May okay uh and have a work session
there's a great chance and if you want I
I'll send you their information to to
supply them with questions and they will
allow them they they'll have seen the
the uh decision by the board of appeals
and they may be able to speak to it as a
state level at that meeting yeah sh re
sample Hills uh he was up in a contact
with her via email and she uh she
instructed us to initiate petition which
is why we started it the first place and
right now we have like 230 signatures
just from our neighborhood and there's
many more that we can get we've we've
added some online too since this posting
went out Monday um I haven't looked at
that because that we're working with a
some uh folks from environmental groups
sesh is one of them and so they're
maintaining the online database of the
people who have signed that petition and
I'm really not sure how helpful she's
going to be because I've been watching
some of the bills that she's been
supporting you know in Anapolis and one
of them is a biofuel bill so well I
think uh the the number one thing and
and and hats off to both of you for
getting as involved as you have been
it's incredibly hard work it um and and
you're and you're protecting your
homesteads I mean this is this is very
personal we've seen this with with other
uh issues that we've covered but uh um
but just keep in mind you know at least
having the one platform to continue to
come back to jump to with your County
Council gives you that voice to maybe
take the next lead forward whether it's
through a state delegation through an
environmental group um you know Josh
Hastings for instances is is very active
with natural resources and that sort of
thing so and I want people to know I
want the public to know that that
neither of us are against a better way
to utilize poultry lter absolutely you
know and and I'm all for it if they can
do it in a more sustainable manner the
the thing that's got us in such an
uproar is the fact that he did it
blindly behind our backs no public
notice and he's done it in a a
residential neighborhood where it's not
zoned for with a HOA well I'm going to
ask both of you if you'd be willing to
come back on in April and and and help
us with the update and uh we we wish you
very very uh good luck and oh we
appreciate it get happy news so thank
you thank you so much absolutely thank
you thank you for watching this segment
of open Agenda we'll be right
back welcome to open Agenda I'm your
host Joe White in this segment we're
going to spend some time with the local
farmer and discuss just some of the
implications that the buyer's diesel
Refinery on the west side of WAMU County
could have not just to communities but
either other Farms as well in the studio
with me is Mr Lee Richardson from
Willards thank you you yep and Mike
Goldberg from delmare thanks for joining
me gentlemen glad to be here so uh you
know for anybody who doesn't know you
you you you're a farmer on in Willards
um what what do you grow uh we're mainly
a grain operation in poultry uh we grow
um corn soybeans uh we have
about 20,000 chickens okay a time and um
we grow sweet corn you're you're kind of
popular for the sweet corn aren't you
we've been named for it yeah yeah I mean
uh you you'll use just a little less
butter to by the the Richardson F we
tell everybody no butter until you try
it at least try it first right that's
right I've even eaten it raw and it's
really good that way that's how we try
taste it yep so I wanted to ask you just
and maybe it seems obvious but just how
integrated is agriculture into our local
economy in wo County well to be honest
with you it pretty much runs the economy
I think in wo County you think of all
the Purdue employees the um all the
farmers that are in the county um just
it all stems from there a lot of your um
supply companies even truck drivers
right truck drivers yeah buy a lot yep
so uh Warwick you know has a program for
truck drivers and that's probably big
reason is for all the poultry and stuff
around and Grain and everything so it
it's uh we don't want to see it leave
let's put it that way I I think it would
it would affect everything from the
schools to to just uh accounting offices
everything in between right what role
does does the Farm Bureau in W Comico
County play and exactly what you all are
are doing um our job is to advocate for
agriculture okay um educate the
non-agriculture community um when we can
um we you know we also Lobby when
there's time to lobby as far as new laws
or stuff like that that affect
agriculture um is probably one of our
bigger things at the state level and you
know um the state level keeps us
informed and then at the county Lev we
deal with the local stuff so I mean even
back going back to the late 90s when you
got the right to to farm bill passed I
mean is that is that where the Farm
Bureau kind of get you all together as a
as a as a a common group yeah we're so
we're Grassroots you know we're all
agriculture based um some EG businesses
or farmers and stuff so yeah we would
have gathered in to make sure that
legislation got passed um to protect
agriculture in the county um at that
time we were starting to get a lot of
some people call them come years
uh that were moving here and and the
land was getting eat up by housing um
people didn't understand agriculture so
the right to farm law came into effect
to protect us from people that didn't
understand was probably more the better
way of putting how important their food
source was yeah yep so what what role
does the County permitting have in maybe
not just your operation but just Farm
operations in general how often does
that interact um not as much as it has
like more than in the past like at one
time we didn't even need a permit for to
put a building up okay if it was for AEG
now you have to get a permit there's not
a fee but there is a permit process and
it's de capture probably what are you
building it for um make sure that you if
you need a soil and erosion we still
need a soil and erosion plan and and
possibly other things if we're
disturbing a over a certain amount of
area you know but but maybe the county
doesn't oversee the entire process but
it it is incumbent of you telling the
truth about what you're going to use the
building for correct you should be
having to put what it's for and
everything um I've not had to get a
permit in quite some time so I don't
know um whether it captures everything
it should or not I'm not sure I don't
want to say it does well what about if
you were looking to expand like say
you're going to add two more chicken
houses now that becomes more at the
state level than the for the kfo
permitting okay um so that's K being
concentrated animal feeding operations
that's correct so anything over I think
it's 20 or 30 some thousand chickens
you're a kfo if you expand you have to
go through a rigorous process and
hearings with mde and stuff like that to
expand or even build a new one what's
the purpose of those hearings I mean to
make sure that you're not creating
pollution or um inform the neighbors um
to make sure that yeah it's built in a
certain way that it does not pollute um
because there's a zero water discharge
now from Kos that are being built so if
I built two new houses on that
particular area it would have to be zero
discharge okay so it' be a sentiment
Pond something like that whereas in the
past it didn't necessarily have to have
that exactly so in in your normal
process with the state and the mde the
Maryland Department environment you're
you're not actually having to go up to
the board of appeals W Comico County in
a in on a normal business process
probably not for that not for chicken
houses no um or you know a shed or
anything like that that's for the
poultry um when you it's when you
increase those numbers of birds and
stuff that it it pretty much is by the
state not not local so you know there's
a there's a big controversy now with the
biodiesel Refinery on the West Side um
uh Mr KRA has has permits from the
county similar to what you were saying
that you know to build buildings but his
approval process came through the state
to put a biodiesel refinery in
what's the process you have as far as
your materials you keep on your farm do
they need to stay on your farm to
process yes so in other words um any
mortality of the birds goes into what we
have is a composter and it biodegrades
and then once they biodegrade we can
then spread it on the land that we to or
it be um a broker can take it to another
grain Farm usually grain Farm sometimes
it goes to the mushroom houses up in
Pennsylvania but there is a um there is
a
uh they follow where it goes too okay
always so there's a problem they can
back back track that's right and so um
we try to use every bit we can it's
gotten more difficult over the years
because of phosphorous levels and stuff
like that so um we might have to export
to other Farms when I say other far
other grain Farms not to other poultry
Farms but to other grain Farms or to a
what they call a broker for Manor well
what if a chicken farm down the road
maybe they're their compost pit is full
are are they allowed to bring a couple
Birds down and throw them no okay the PO
CS don't allow that and and it's
probably not allowed by the state even
because of disease and all that you know
so in other words they want to keep that
separate well one of the one of the
common uh ring cries about this
biodiesel Refinery is it's supposed to
be
collecting these types of materials uh
even plant materials and and concentrate
them in one place I mean what's your
right what's your take on that so at
that point it's not it's
not the the right to farm law was to
protect Farmers doing normal egg
practices say we normally go out in the
spring and spread manure that's normal
so it might smell you can't do anything
about it um when we go out there and put
fertilizer or stuff as long as it's to
the rates that are accepted by the state
they can't do anything about it we can
put a Hog Pen up and put hogs out there
and it smells bad but it's still allowed
it's it's a normal agriculture practice
this bio
Refinery kind of gets hairy is you know
it's um if if he had chickens in several
houses and wanted to take his own Manor
and make bio energy whatever he's doing
with it that's acceptable even though
it's new but when he starts taking it
from other Farms it's not normal
practice you'd have to wonder is it
worth spending $7 million of State
taxpayer money for a grant that he
received just to make enough biodiesel
from your own Farm
right what you going to make a tank of
gas or something you know right but if
it's actually processing that's a that's
that's outside of agriculture it's a
processing yeah my yeah my in my opinion
I would say it's no longer agriculture
than it is um more of a commercial
business yeah so at that point there
should be different rules and stuff I
feel like you know that it's he's not
protected under the right to farm law
then really so one of the interesting
things in doing some research uh some of
our crew has found that uh Raj KRA is
actually on the state Agriculture
Commission for biodiesel um you know
when you when you see that and and I
also understand that there was another
attempt on the east side of w Comico
County by the same person to to put a a
a similar maybe smaller operation I mean
you're a homeowner too and you're you
know you're you're a resident you have
many generations I mean what
responsibility do you think even uh the
folks who are operating the Farms have
to their to their neighbors as far as
where the rules are we try to do
everything we can to be neighborly I
mean granted we have to spread them in
order you know to get the use of it and
it smells but at the same time um when
we're doing other things or trying new
thing you know we we consider the
neighbors you know and so to prevent
problems cuz when you have problems then
new laws come and new restrictions and
stuff like that so why not try to get
along to start with the one in
so to get back to the
one you get this grant money and I'm
kind of getting concerned about where
this grant money is going myself because
I have talked to some of these companies
in the past about doing something on our
farm and it was just to use AR Manor or
anything it wasn't buy a it was
something else but at the same time I
feel like they get this grant money and
then they don't really worry about
whether it works or not because they've
already got the money and as long as
they can show salaries went to these
people and this that and the other that
where the money went you know and that
was the cost there's nothing they can do
about getting the money back the state
doesn't it doesn't have to work yeah you
know so I'm a lot of there's a lot of
concern about where this money is going
yeah and so I don't I don't know that
this is one of those kind of projects
but it just seems like to the one in
Willard's that they were trying to do
did what was the reason that it's not
working or or still going or moving
forward well so I think the Board of
Public appeals is going to they're going
to hear this case uh in at the end of
March and uh and I think if people have
those questions that that's a good time
for them to come because there'll be a
chance to speak uh also I think you're
you're going to see our local delegation
come through County Council meetings in
in the spring after the the state
session's over these are things that you
know our state representatives need to
be asking the questions on our behalf as
well don't you think who would be
responsible for a cleanup if there was a
problem there U is it the county is it
St State taxpayers there's no such thing
as free money right so this money this
grant money came from somewhere
somewhere that somehow that that you
know citizens paid for sure and if I was
a neighbor I'd be asking a lot of
questions that you know you know is
there if we're dealing with um a methane
gas there's explosion considered you
know is that a possibility maybe not I
don't I don't know enough about the
system or would it is going to do but um
it's certainly
um even it kind of the one I know the
one that they were doing in Willard was
a much smaller system and if it didn't
work why are we building a bigger system
and that one's not active and and active
that's my understanding so so not to get
anybody fearful out there but sure well
thanks for coming in and speaking with
us um it it does sound just like I I
feel that we all have more questions
than answers I do do think that the
process here uh really now runs to the
board of appeals I do think people
should know out there that this is
probably going to end up in some sort of
legal action somebody's not going to be
happy with the results so it's going to
end up in a court system somewhere so if
people have questions now is the time to
ask them because they're going to get
asked eventually sure
sure well well thanks for watching we'll
be back next
week I know what I'm doing man
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