Tim Wheeler reports in the Baltimore Sun‘s B’More Green blog that Governor O’Malley intends to sign the waste-to-energy bill, SB 690. The bill had been the subject of extended debate, with numerous environmental organizations arguing for a veto. MACo had supported the bill, and urged the Governor to sign it into law.

From the Sun blog site:

O’Malley said in a statement released late Tuesday afternoon that he didn’t see the conflict, and he believes burning trash to produce power is better than depositing it in landfills. He contended that waste-to-energy plants in Harford and Montgomery counties co-exist with “robust” recycling programs in those localities, even as Marylanders send tons of solid waste to landfills daily.

State law requires 20 percent of Maryland’s energy to come from renewable sources by 2022. The governor said the if state is to reach that goal, it needs “as much in-state generation as possible,” including power from onshore and offshore wind, solar, from burning chicken manure and also from burning municipal garbage.

See previous coverage on the Conduit Street blog.

Read MACo’s letter in support of the bill’s signing.