Howard County Council member Deb Jung has filed a county bill that would prohibit businesses from conducting research and development activities that produce certain pollutants. The bill is in response to community members’ concerns about W.R. Grace & Co.’s proposal for a plastics recycling facility in Columbia.

The bill amends a previous Zoning Regulation Amendment filed by county resident Anwer Hasan seeking an 1,800-foot buffer zone for businesses in the Planned Employment Center zoning district that conduct research and development, and that requires air quality permits from the Maryland Department of the Environment. W.R. Grace and other large businesses are located in the PEC zoning district.

Under the legislation, research and development uses would be added to the zoning district. However, the bill would ban any research and development activities that “involve commercial plastic pellets or feedstock which produces flue gas and requires a permit from the state of Maryland.”

Jung represents District 4 on the council, which includes five villages in Columbia.

“We put together a revised version of the ZRA to ensure that an effective ZRA will ensure that this community’s health and safety will be protected,” Jung said.

Shamieka Preston, a Howard County resident who lives about 200 feet from W.R. Grace’s Columbia headquarters, supported the ZRA and now supports the bill amending it. The legislation is clear and comprehensive, making it “easier to get behind,” she said.

In September 2023, W.R. Grace submitted an application for an air quality permit to construct a pilot-scale “test catalytic chemical conversion facility” that would convert plastics into liquids and gas with potentially usable energy, according to the application. The liquid and gas products would be used for research only, the application said, as the company would assess new technologies.

The MDE held a public hearing in April and extended the public comment period until the end of August. W.R. Grace’s Columbia campus borders the Cedar Creek neighborhood, Robinson Nature Center and the nearby Village of River Hill. Community members, some who live as close as 70 meters from the company, have been voicing concerns about the potential negative environmental and health impacts of the pilot facility for months.

Preston had heard about the proposed facility but didn’t fully understand its potential impacts at first. Once she saw residents from a wide range of areas join the community’s advocacy, it helped her realize “this is a big deal” as she considered many environmental, health and social factors, she said. Preston moved to Columbia from California, where she saw wildfires have a dramatic negative impact the outdoorsy lifestyle of the area.

“It was just too close, and it was kind of negating part of why we left California,” Preston said. “And all the things I’d heard about Columbia and Howard County was that it was like, the San Francisco, the Bay Area of Maryland, where it was like really concerned about the environment and we had this reserve next door,” Preston said.

At a meeting in early December, during which Preston spoke, advocates called for a safe buffer zone and proper regulations, citing fears about possible chemical fires, carcinogenic chemicals in the air, environmental injustice and children’s developmental and mental health.

A spokesperson for W.R. Grace said in September that the company wouldn’t burn plastics, produce microplastics or make forever chemicals known as PFAS as scientists test the new plastic recycling solution in the pilot facility. The recycling method could reduce emissions, save energy and lower costs, the spokesperson said, noting that the company followed the proper permitting process and industry standards for safety.

Concerned residents showed support for Hasan’s ZRA and its requirement of an 1,800-foot setback during a November hearing. A Zoning Regulation Amendment, which is a petition to make changes to a Zoning Regulation that must be approved by the County Council, can be filed by anyone with an interest, a County Council member, or the Department of Planning and Zoning.

The county’s planning board in December approved the ZRA filed by Hasan with an amendment encouraging the County Council to assess its sufficiency and discuss approaches for “actionable legislation” with the MDE. Jung worked to create implementable legislation, filing the bill in coordination with Hasan. The bill will have its first reading on Feb. 3 followed by a public hearing on Feb. 18. The county council is scheduled to vote on the bill on March 3.

Howard County deserves a clean air outcome, Preston said, adding that she has her “fingers crossed” that the bill will pass. But the community coming together and galvanizing around the cause is one of the biggest wins, she said.

“And so, to know that other people have your back, if you will, and that other people really appreciate living here, I feel like that’s the biggest win,” Preston said. “We all get clean air. We all get to ‘Kumbaya’ together.”

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