Is Georgetown University trading one environmental harm for another? Solar contract requires clearcutting more than 200 acres of pristine forest in Maryland
Georgetown University signed a contract with Origis Energy in September 2017 to build a solar power system to supply clean energy to university facilities. At the time, university administration praised the strides taken towards drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, in recent weeks, it has come to light that executing the plan to build a solar panel field requires clearcutting 240 acres of pristine, contiguous forest in Nanjemoy, Maryland. Maryland residents, Georgetown students, environmentalists, and other onlookers do not share the assured optimism of the university and Origis Energy.
Some have noted the function of the target site’s trees as carbon sinks, or a way that trees naturally clean carbon out of the environment and store it safely by converting it into molecules used for food and growth. This is an important function that humans are trying to replicate in order to reduce the rate of global warming. Because of the efficient way that trees have evolved to pull carbon out of the environment, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation even refers to trees as the “carbon storage experts.” Edwin Moses, managing director for project development at Origis Energy USA, did not respond when asked to provide comparisons between the carbon stored by the target forest area and estimates calculated by Origis for reduction in fossil fuel burning.
Additionally, “contiguous” forest is important for many bird species that require these unbroken areas of existing trees, or “interior forest,” to survive. The Audobon Society has designated the swaths of pristine forest that Origis has set their sights on in Nanjemoy as an “important bird area,” one of less than three dozen remaining such areas in the entire state of Maryland.
The area targeted for clearcutting is home to species like the Eastern whip-poor-will and the prairie warbler. Additionally, the Nanjemoy peninsula contains areas protected to preserve blue heron habitats. Bald eagles reportedly nest in Nanjemoy. Bald eagles, despite no longer being considered an endangered species, are still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits molestation or disturbance of bald and golden eagle nests or eggs.
By clearcutting 240 acres of contiguous forest in Nanjemoy, Origis and Georgetown University would be responsible for the effects of fragmentation, when forests become broken and disconnected. Forest fragmentation leads to isolation of animals and plants, hindering or preventing movement from one section to another formerly connected area of forest — this reduces genetic variety in animal and plant species, increases their vulnerability to pests and parasites, and even degrades water quality for the area and surrounding areas.
The target area for Georgetown University’s solar project contains Tier II streams, the designation in Maryland for water that is “exceptionally better than the minimum requirements.” Fragmenting the forest in this area would lead to increased erosion due to the absence of root systems keeping soil in place, and in turn contribute to poorer water quality, poorer flood control, and increased eutrophication in receiving bodies of water. These downstream effects not only impact the flora and fauna of the area, but also affect the quality of life of Maryland residents who live in or near the same watershed, or who visit the area.
Forest fragmentation has been a cause for concern for decades, and more than enough research provides strong evidence of the negative effects of fragmentation on biodiversity and ecological processes. Forest fragmentation can even reduce biodiversity by up to 75 percent. You might wonder if time would help heal these fragmented areas, but the negative effects actually “magnify with the passage of time,” leaving long-term impacts.
Concerns raised over the destruction of forest to construct solar panels highlight differences in the valuation of costs and benefits, and the scope of which costs and benefits to consider when evaluating the project. When asked to comment, Origis and Georgetown University stood by their estimates that the destruction of forest would be outweighed by benefits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. However, they have yet to comment on the negative impacts to Maryland biodiversity, water quality, flood control, and ecological processes that the solar project would cause.
Edwin Moses, the Origis project manager for this solar field construction, cited plans to implement Forest Conservation Easements during the project. In Maryland, conservation easements are decisions left to landowners on whether or not they wish to conserve portions of their property. Based on available information, Origis is currently considered the landowner of the forest area they wish to clearcut, since they purchased the area from a family. In Maryland, this means that where and how much forest is preserved in this target area in Nanjemoy is up to Origis. Even if Origis decided to preserve pockets of the forest here and there, the forest would still be largely fragmented, and the smaller the isolated fragment of forest, the more negatively the biodiversity and ecological processes of the fragment are impacted. The public would only know what areas of the target area are preserved if Origis becomes transparent about their plans and actions.
Maryland residents and environmentalists have asked Georgetown University and Origis Energy to reevaluate the site of their solar panel construction project. Georgetown students have pressed the university to release a timeline and more details on the project.
You can attend a hearing in Charles County, Maryland hosted by the Maryland Department of Environment about this project on Wednesday, February 27, 2019 where you can also view the plans for the project. You can find out more HERE. See below for the event information copied and pasted from the Maryland government website:
Start Date: 2/27/2019 | End Date: 2/27/2019
Start Time: 6:00 PM | End Time: 9:00 PM
Event Description:
MDE Public Informational Hearing for the MDE Solar 1 (Shugart Valley Place) project
Plans on display from 6:00–7:00 pm
Location Information:
Charles County Government Commissioners Meeting R (View Map)
200 Baltimore Street
La Plata, MD 20646
