Rockville environmental cleanup is no laughing matter

Threats to the local ecosystem aren't exactly comedy material. But when Montgomery County satirical publication Montgonion branched out into civic activism recently, it found some readers were having a hard time taking it seriously. After tackling a litter problem in Glenmont, the Montgonion staff turned its attention to the 15100 block of Southlawn Lane in Rockville. Their efforts resulted in several departments of Montgomery County government taking action to remove illegally-parked or abandoned vehicles, and trash. The street is adjacent to parkland and a tributary of Rock Creek.

Montgomery County has also asked a cement company located there to have its trucks line up within its property, rather than idling on the public road. The County will also be assessing environmental impacts on the nearby stream. 

After posting about their success, the Montgonion staff was alarmed that many readers thought the story was yet another satirical yarn. They want you to know the story is true, and that they are ready to investigate any other problem areas you know about in Rockville and Montgomery County. Now about that WSSC free automobile undercarriage wash in Aspen Hill...ok, that one might not be true. Or is it? We are talking about the WSSC here, after all.

Photo courtesy Montgonion

Polestar EV on display at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Tesla has been a prominent presence at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda for many years now. Competitor Polestar, which counts Volvo among its ownership team, is muscling in on Elon with a holiday display. The Polestar 3 (sounds a lot like Model 3) is described as "the SUV that drives like a sports car" (sounds a lot like Model X and Y). Depending which variant you buy, the Polestar 3 comes with up to 517 horsepower, and 350 miles of range. You can arrange a test drive by using a QR code at the display, but you can also use this link.

Upgraded Tesla Model 3 at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Westfield Montgomery Mall is located in one of areas of the country with the greatest adoption of electric vehicles. It also has a Tesla store. Therefore, it's not surprising that the company has been showcasing the new upgraded Model 3 at the mall. The Model 3 now comes in the new color choices of Ultra Red and Stealth Grey. Changes to the interior include wrap-around ambient lighting, ventilated front seats, acoustic glass, "studio quality sound from every seat," and a rear touchscreen display.

Tesla Cybertruck deliveries picking up in Rockville (Photos)

Here's a rare sighting: A Tesla Cybertruck in the wild without an overpaid influencer behind the wheel. Deliveries of the king of trucks appear to be picking up at the Rockville Tesla facility at 1300 Rockville Pike. A purported halt of Cybertruck deliveries in mid-April due to an accelerator pedal issue clearly has ended, at least here in Maryland. 

There was only one Cybertruck on this car carrier loaded with Teslas, but at least three more could be seen parked on the top level of the facility's garage. It seems that the production numbers of Cybertrucks and Tesla stock are both trending in an upward direction.

WSSC seeks public comment on proposed new Damascus Town Center Wastewater Pumping Station

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission is moving forward with a plan to replace the Damascus Town Center Wastewater Pumping Station, and is receiving public comment on the proposal between now and May 4, 2024. As planned, the existing pumping station would be demolished, and a new one would be constructed about 1500 linear feet north of that location at 26701 Woodfield Road. The existing pumping station is now outmoded, the utility said.

The replacement facility would be a wet well and valve vault-style pumping station. It would include an electrical and control building, paving and fencing with an access gate, landscaping, a gravity sewer, a low-pressure sewer force main, a water main, and associated infrastructure to "pump sewage out of the proposed pump station and into the collection system.

Alas, the project plans are not provided online for the public. Instead, they are available for public review in-person at the WSSC at 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland 20707 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Public comment is only accepted in written form, and can be mailed to Tanweer Baig, 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland 20707, or emailed to Tanweer.Baig@wsscwater.com.

Rockville Giant store to add electric vehicle chargers

The Giant at 9719 Traville Gateway Drive will soon add two electric vehicle charging stations outside the store, which is located at the Traville Village Center in Rockville. Giant began a partnership with Volta Charging to provide EV charging stations at its stores in 2020. The alliance was expected to eventually deliver more than 200 charging stations at the Ahold-owned supermarket chain's locations.  

“Providing our shoppers and communities free electric charging services is part of Giant’s larger sustainability efforts,” Giant Food President Ira Kress said in a statement. “We are excited to offer our customers who opt for electric cars the satisfaction of quick and free charging while they shop. It’s a value for our shoppers that also benefits the environment.”

Montgomery County legalizes tunnel greenhouses on urban, suburban lots to boost small farming production

Montgomery County's Department of Permitting Services has removed a prohibition on the erection of high tunnel greenhouses on urban and suburban lots, in an effort to increase food production by small farmers in those areas. Previously, the structures were only permitted on land zoned as agricultural. Constructed of metal frames and clear plastic coverings, the greenhouses trap heat to extend the growing season, and block access to plants by pests. Interested applicants in urban and suburban areas must submit to the DPS a certificate showing that the high tunnel proposal has been reviewed by the Montgomery Soil Conservation District and the Office of Agriculture, to ensure that it will comply with sediment and erosion control, stormwater management, zoning, and any local HOA requirements. 

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich

"Ag growers who are Black, indigenous or people of color often operate on properties with fewer than three acres of land, so this policy change was made to increase racial equity," County Executive Marc Elrich said in a statement. "This policy change also is expected to increase local food production, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from long-distance food transport on our roads and increase urban access to healthy and nutritious food. I thank the local grower who advocated for change and the Office of Agriculture and Department of Permitting Services for implementing the new policy."

Biden pushing federal employees back to the office: Does the commercial real estate crisis outweigh the climate crisis?

President Joe Biden will make a more aggressive push for federal workers to return to their offices this fall, Axios reported Friday. It's only the latest decision by the Biden administration that ignores the climate crisis that the President at other times acknowledges is "the existential threat to humanity." The driving force behind demanding that great numbers of federal employees return to in-person work isn't for the public good, but to prop up the falling profits of wealthy private development firms and their Wall Street financial backers. One must ask the question, "Does the commercial real estate crisis outweigh the climate crisis?"

The reduction in downtown leasing and activity is hardly limited to Washington, D.C. But developers here have an advantage office tower owners in other cities don't: The federal government can order all 141,367 of its D.C.-based employees back to in-person work. Yet that singular power is precisely why the Biden administration shouldn't.

A great opportunity to make unprecedented strides toward reducing carbon emissions, pollution and global temperatures emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Government and private employers alike were forced to find out who could do their jobs from home, and who couldn't. But Biden declined to seize the low-hanging fruits of this opportunity. 

Imagine if everyone who successfully performed their job from home during the lockdown just kept doing that. The short-lived environmental and highway capacity benefits would have become permanent. Air quality would have improved, and expensive transportation projects could have been canceled. And while it would have been a hard-fought battle for the federal government to mandate private companies continue to allow their employees to work from home, Uncle Sam would have had no barrier or obstacle to mandate that all federal workers working from home continue doing so indefinitely.

Ordering most federal workers to return to the office would put swarms of cars that currently spend most of their time in driveways of homes back onto area roads. Workers returning by transit will have a significant negative impact on the environment, as well. WMATA only anticipates half of its buses will be zero-emission by 2033, and predicts its entire fleet will be zero-emission by 2045. The vast majority of buses still run on diesel and natural gas. This does not even take into account the coal-fired and natural gas electricity plant emissions needed to operate the Metro subway system.

The world just passed through the hottest month on record in July. Scientists and climate activists began using the term "global boiling" to describe what lies ahead for Planet Earth. The D.C. area is intimately aware of the pollution impacts of wildfires, and the extensive damage wreaked by increasingly-powerful storms. On the present course, global temperatures will likely pass the 1.5C global warming threshold sometime in the next four years.

It was only four years ago that the United Nations informed us that we had "only 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change." Yet Biden eagerly approved the Mountain Valley Pipeline, recently endorsed by the U.S. Supreme Court. His Russia-related energy sanctions and policies restarted coal plants in Europe, and will boost American natural gas output for export to Europe for at least the duration of the war, if not for decades to come. Politicians who had called for higher gas prices for decades to reduce driving fell silent when they finally arrived in 2022. Biden has sold 206 million barrels of oil from the country's reserves to date, to artificially lower the price of gasoline since.

These are not the expected actions of a President who recently said, at a press conference with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, that he has witnessed "the highest sea-level rise in more than a century. I’ve seen wildfire devastation across the West, burning more acres to the ground than are square miles in the state of Maryland. That’s how much got burned to the ground and all the — just flying over, just devastating. There’s been historic tornadoes and flooding in the Midwest and the Southeast. And just last week, across the East Coast and Midwest, we saw what you’ve already seen here in California: millions of Americans sheltered indoors, the air not safe to breathe, orange haze covering the sky. It’s incredible."

One cannot take these actions, and then turn around another day and claim we are in an existential climate crisis that threatens American lives and property. If you had found a way for tens of thousands of federal workers to get their job done without hitting the road twice a day, and you were serious about the climate, you wouldn't consider for a minute ordering those employees back to the office.

Developers are being hit in the pocketbook. Wall Street and the bankers who hold the loans on office towers are taking a WFH hit, too. Downtown traffic to businesses isn't what it was prior to March 2020. None of that warrants yet another federal government bailout to the rich, at the expense of all humanity and nature around the globe. President Biden should resist the pressure he's receiving from wealthy interests to force federal workers back to the office. The President who said "the impacts we’re seeing in climate change are only going to get more frequent and more ferocious and more costly" shouldn't add any more to that cost and ferocity.

Photo courtesy U.S. State Department

Tesla touts EV tax credit at Rockville store

Tesla is promoting the $7500 electric vehicle tax credit outside its Rockville store at 1300 Rockville Pike. The tax credit provided by President Biden's 2022 Inflation Recovery Act can be challenging to receive if you are not a careful car shopper. A short list of EVs are eligible, if they are made in North America, and if a large-enough portion of their battery components made in the United States. 

New Model 3 and Model Y Teslas are on that list. Interestingly, according to the Associated Press, if you lease instead of buying your EV, you can receive the tax credit on any electric vehicle. An electric vehicle is in your future, whether you like it or not. By 2035, all cars sold in Maryland will have to be electric.

Rockville police report black bear sighting

A black bear was spotted and photographed in a neighborhood off of Falls Road this morning, Rockville City police announced. It was climbing a tree in the Horizon Hill neighborhood, off Sunrise Drive. It is not known if it is the same bear who was captured in Rockville and released upcounty last month, or a new visitor. Officers are again working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to locate and capture the bear. If you spot the bear, call RCPD at 240-314-8900. Stay calm, and do not approach, feed or attempt to capture the animal.

Photo courtesy RCPD

Rockville bear sightings continue

The black bear wandering around Rockville the last few days likes it here, and it's sticking around. Rockville City police announced this morning that the bear was spotted last night on College Parkway, and in King Farm. Officers are currently searching for the bear with the assistance of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. You are asked to call the RCPD at 240-314-8900 as soon as possible if you see the bear.

Montgomery County now collecting durable medical equipment at Shady Grove Transfer Station

Do you have medical equipment you no longer need, and is just taking up space in your home? Now it can be put to use for less-fortunate residents in need of it. Montgomery County is now collecting durable medical equipment at the Shady Grove Transfer Station at 16101 Frederick Road (MD 355) in Derwood. "Gently-used" wheelchairs, canes, shower chairs, and other commonly-used medical equipment will be accepted, and will be refurbished and donated to residents who need it. The new initiative has been made possible by the Montgomery County Department of the Environment's entry into the Maryland Department of Aging’s Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Re-Use program.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich

“There is an ongoing need for medical equipment in our County,” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said in a statement. “Many of us have medical equipment in our basements, garages or attics that is no longer used, but is too good to throw away. This program helps our County’s efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle, while providing critical assistance to those in need. I encourage everyone to donate if they have any equipment that can still be used. This program isn’t just helping our planet—it is also helping our neighbors.”

Technicians from Maryland DME Re-Use take the donated equipment to a 56,000-square-foot facility located in Cheltenham in Prince George's County. There, it is sanitized, repaired and stored for future distribution. Equipment that is beyond repair will be broken down for parts that are saved and later used, rather than going into the trash.

To find out more about Maryland DME Re-Use, including collection site locations, acceptable donations or how to apply to receive durable medical equipment, go to dme.maryland.gov, call 240-230-8000 or email dme.mdoa@maryland.gov.

Nordstrom reducing window displays "to lessen our environmental impact" at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Nordstrom at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda says it is increasing its efforts to be more environmentally-sensitive. One step it is now taking "to lessen our environmental impact" is to reduce the number of window displays. At one window inside the mall, trash is now part of the display. "This display was partially sourced from our store's recyclable waste," a sign explains. 

This is apparently such a new development that there has not even been any company-wide announcement or press release about it yet. The window display initiative does not appear on the chain's environmental sustainability webpage. It's certainly an unusual tack for an upscale department store.

Maryland "closely monitoring" air quality after toxic East Palestine, Ohio train derailment

Maryland Department of the Environment
air quality monitoring station

More than a few Maryland residents have been wondering if the toxic chemicals released into waterways and the air from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment might have any environmental or health impacts here. The Maryland Department of the Environment has been "closely monitoring the situation," MDE spokesperson Jay Apperson said Friday evening. Department officials have been focused on impacts from the air, as Apperson said the runoff into the Ohio River will not affect Maryland waterways.

There has been speculation online that pollution such as airborne particulates or acid rain caused by the derailment, and by the controversial clean-up effort of toxic substances from the train cars, could impact neighboring states. Some satellite images shared on social media depicting a plume cloud from the controlled burn-off of chemicals at the crash site showed it passing over Western Maryland at times. 

But Apperson said the state has so far found nothing of concern within our borders. MDE's air quality monitoring station in Garrett County "shows no effect on levels of gas or particulate matter" as of last night, he reported. "The department will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation," Apperson added.

Photo courtesy MDE

Montgomery County Council natural gas ban already impacting real estate market

The recent floating of a ban on gas stoves by federal regulators caused an uproar nationwide, but the Montgomery County Council's 2022 actual ban on natural gas energy in future home and building construction is already making waves in the county's real estate market. In recent weeks, some for-sale signs in front of Montgomery County homes have added a new shingle underneath: "Natural Gas AVAILABLE." 

County homeowners fortunate to have a natural gas hookup, and the advantages and alternatives it provides, may now see a bump in their home values. Buyers dreaming of a true "chef's kitchen," showers that don't run cold just because the power is out, or a generator to keep everything on when electric power does go out, will have a static inventory of older properties to choose from.

Montgomery County's natural gas ban was an instructive moment in more ways than one. Of course, it reminds us all of how much the Council enjoys banning things. It's a cheap way to make news, look busy, and not have to spend much money in the process. All the costs fall on businesses and residents. 

Perhaps even more intriguing is the revelation of how County environmental policy often has less to do with actual impact on climate change (though those melting paper straws do add a unique new flavor to our beverages), and more to do with accomplishing hidden or corrupt goals, payoffs, power grabs and other short-term gains. Such is the epic tale of the rise and fall of natural gas in Montgomery County's "green" policy.

It wasn't that long ago that we were told natural gas was "clean energy." This just happened to coincide with fracking mania, which created whole boom towns in often-remote parts of America for a time. Brown drinking water and earthquakes? Merely minor side-effects of "clean energy."

Montgomery County's elected officials and local environmental advocates were all-in on natural gas at that time, as well.

Way back in 1996, Montgomery County purchased its first compressed natural gas Ride On buses. Montgomery County Council staff regularly have referred to these CNG buses as "clean bus technology."

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan touted the purchase of 19 more natural gas-powered Ride On buses in 2000, through a multi-agency agreement that included the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG). "Through this agreement, we're helping to reduce traffic congestion and prevent pollution," Duncan said at the time. "The support of The Clean Alternative program has made it easier for the County to purchase low emission vehicles that reduce air pollution while lowering our fuel and maintenance costs."

Maryland Transportation Secretary John Porcari said that the purchase of these natural gas Ride On buses would "improve air quality and enhance the quality of life" of residents. Then-MWCOG Executive Director Michael Rogers said CNG Ride On buses were an "emerging strategy for improving air quality."

Sue Edwards of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission wrote that the CNG Ride On buses used natural gas as a "clean burning fuel." CNG was "a mechanism to meet air quality objectives," she stated. 

The most interesting endorsement of natural gas-powered Ride On buses came from Elliott Negin of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Montgomery County is showing the way for our region," Negin was quoted as saying in the press release announcing the natural gas bus purchase.

Two years later, Negin and the NRDC were even more enthused about natural gas. WMATA had announced the purchase of 250 new natural gas CNG buses for the Metrobus fleet.  "This is a great Earth Day present for the nation's capital, Maryland and Virginia," Negin said in a joint press release with the Sierra Club(!!). "Expanding Metro's natural gas program and retiring its polluting diesel buses is clearly the best choice for our public health and environment. It also is the best choice for strengthening U.S. energy security, since we get nearly all of our natural gas from North America, and more than half of the oil we consume is imported."

After reading that, you might wonder if Negin's article in Greater Greater Washington last month was written by an imposter. 

"WMATA’s fleet is currently made up of diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, which essentially run on methane, a potent global warming gas," Negin and co-authors Steve Banashek and Timothy Oberleiton wrote on December 7, 2022. "Diesel tailpipe emissions have been linked to cancer and heart disease, as well as premature death. CNG bus emissions have been linked to cardiovascular and neurological diseases." Well, so much for enhancing the quality of life!

"Emissions from both fuels cause smog, which exacerbates allergies and such lung conditions as emphysema, bronchitis and asthma, a major problem in the District," Negin, et al continued. "Both types of fuel also pose a threat to the climate. In the greater Washington region, cars, trucks, buses, and other mobile sources account for a whopping 40% of annual global warming pollution. [CNG buses] spew toxic pollution. Their lifecycle global warming emissions, meanwhile, are on average only 6.4 percent lower than that of a diesel bus and, in many circumstances, are nearly the same due to widespread methane leaks and relatively poor fuel economy."

What a difference 20 years makes! Yet all of the properties of natural gas were known to scientists 20 years ago, when Negin, Montgomery County officials and countless other once-ardent promoters of natural gas were demanding Americans switch to that "clean energy" alternative. What's going on here?

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka attempted to backpedal on his gas stove ban musings last month, after everyone from annoyed chefs to political opponents of the Biden administration ran wild with the issue. Days later, Trumka quietly doubled down on his personal opposition to gas stoves in the back pages of The Washington Post. 

Looking at Montgomery County environmental "policy" this century, we have to ask, what will his position be twenty years from now?

Rockville seeks permission to remove failed dam from historic property

The City of Rockville is seeking permission to remove a failed dam from the historic Glenview Farm property at 603 Edmonston Drive, which is home to Glenview Mansion and the Rockville Civic Center park. While the dam is no longer functioning properly, and cannot be replaced under today's federal and state environmental rules, it is considered a contributing resource to a historic site. For this reason, the Rockville Historic District Commission must determine if historic preservation of the dam structure is warranted.

Sitting across Croydon Creek, the dam was constructed in the 1920s when the site was a functioning farm. It created a reservoir that was used as a water source for cattle, and for the irrigation of crops. The original farmhouse is now part of Glenview Mansion. Rockville's Environmental Management Division would now like to execute a stream restoration project at the site, and it will require removal of the dam. Today, the dam is breached in two locations, and small chunks of it have been pushed by the currents of Croydon Creek downstream.

The design phase of the stream restoration project received funding from the Maryland State Highway Administration. That design process is now 90% complete. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has allocated $2,000,000 from its Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund for the actual construction of the project.

HDC commissioners will review the dam to determine if it can be removed or not at its October 20, 2022 meeting. City staff are recommending commissioners approve removal of the dam.

Photo/map courtesy City of Rockville

Rivian truck spotted at Rockville Rivian facility (Photos)

The parking lot at the new Rivian facility on Rockville Pike is usually empty, save for the flatbed trucks used to deliver the new electric pickup trucks to their owners. Trucks are picked up for delivery as quickly as they arrive here. But one of the fast-moving EV pickups was finally caught on-site yesterday. 

There was an intriguing sign on the dashboard, which instructs delivery drivers in capital letters to unbuckle the truck's seatbelt after loading. I can't find any explanation online for that, but it clearly must be important, and it would be interesting to know why. It's too early for Guardian Mode on this Rivian. 

The tonneau cover was closed over the pickup bed. I think this truck is in Launch Green. Has anyone seen a Limestone yet? I'm partial to Rivian Blue myself.