On the Wednesday 8/13/25 installment of OPEN AGENDA (S2 E33) we bring you up-to-date on the biodiesel refinery being forced upon residents of the Canterbury neighborhood on Adkins Rd. Although the County's Planning & Zoning Commission and Board of Appeals have determined that the biodiesel refinery is an illegal industrial use within a residential/agricultural zone, the case has now been appealed to the Circuit Court. Although affected property owners and farmers across the county have strenuously opposed this industrial operation due to potential environmental and health hazards, their opposition has fallen on deaf ears. The developer of the biorefinery and the government in Annapolis are using Wicomico County as a “Petri dish” for this untested technology found nowhere else in Maryland, and the operator of this facility seems to be skirting the law with the complicity of the state government. Your tax dollars are being used to fund the biorefinery and the owner is a member of the Maryland Agricultural Commission, thus there appears to be a conflict of interest. Our local zoning laws are being ignored by Annapolis and there is no indication that our local elected officials are standing up to protect the affected residents. Are we citizens or are we subjects?
The next episode of OPEN AGENDA will be released on Friday 8/15/25 in which the prospective Wetipquin State Park will be discussed—another state initiative being pushed by the powers in Annapolis despite strong local opposition. Tune in and be informed.
