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MDE Approves Discharge Permit For Grantsville Mine

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Sep. 30, 2010

The Maryland Department of the Environment reported this week that it has made a final determination on the discharge permit application by Maryland Energy Resources LLC for the proposed underground coal mine along Durst Road near Grantsville.
The department published a tentative permit determination on April 15 and conducted a public hearing regarding the proposed draft permit on May 19.

After considering all comments received either in writing or through oral testimony, the department made the final determination to issue the permit with several changes to the tentative determination.

The permittee will be required to include alternate test species in the biomonitoring study plan that also reflects the biological nature of endangered species, including but not limited to rainbow trout and stonefly.

Temperatures will be required to be monitored 24 hours per day between May 15 and Sept. 30, and sulfate will be required to be monitored weekly.

A special condition of the permit has been revised to clarify the permittee’s responsibility to comply with all state water quality standards.

The permittee will also be required to perform a feasibility study considering potential options for implementation of real-time reporting of effluent flow volume, conductivity, temperature, and pH.

In addition, a plan will be required for addressing identification of and response to the potential occurrence of acid mine drainage seeps.

Read the rest here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

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Deadline For AG Kick-Off Tickets Extended To Oct. 4

From the Republican
Sep. 30, 2010

The deadline to reserve tickets for the 43rd annual Autumn Glory Festival Kick-Off Reception, presented by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, has been extended to Monday, Oct. 4. The reception is slated for Wednesday, Oct. 6, at the Lodge at Wisp Resort. Clear Mountain Bank is the official sponsor of the Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception.
Admission to the event is $195 per couple and $100 per individual. Tables for eight are available at a discounted price of $750. Tickets purchased at the door will cost an additional $5.

Along with the annual announcement of this year’s Golden Ambassador, the reception includes the coronation of the Autumn Glory king and queen and recognizes the festival’s sponsors. Local music group Boathouse will be this year’s entertainment, sponsored by Constellation Energy.

Each attendee receives a collectible Autumn Glory pin and Golden Ambassador pass. The pass entitles the holder to priority seating on the bleachers near the reviewing stand for the Grand Feature Parade on Saturday, Oct. 9. Long & Foster is the official sponsor of this year’s festival.

The evening will begin with a 6 p.m. social hour with complimentary beer and wine and a cash bar available. The sit-down dinner begins at 7 p.m. with the program beginning at 8. The reception ticket includes hors d’oeuvres, the sit-down dinner, and “first-class” entertainment.

Those interested in purchasing a ticket should call 301-387-2050

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Local Athletes Named Grand Marshals For 43rd Annual Autumn Glory Parade

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Sep. 30, 2010

Local athletes Tom Wallisch and Casey Eichfeld have been selected as the Grand Marshals of Garrett County’s 43rd annual Autumn Glory Festival Grand Feature Parade on Saturday, Oct. 9, beginning at 1 p.m.
Natives of Pittsburgh, Wallisch’s parents, Mike and Patty Wallisch, have owned a second home in Garrett County since 1989. Wisp Resort was their home ski resort and Wallisch was a member of the Deep Creek Winter Sports Team.

Presently in college at the University of Utah, he is now a professional freestyle skier based out of Salt Lake City. Considered one of the country’s top park skiers, he has won major slope-style events from the Winter Dew Tour to the Dumont Cup to the European X Games. ESPN named him one of the ski industry’s Most Innovative Thinkers in 2010.

In a recent half-hour FuelTV FirstHand episode, Wallisch talks about his skiing, and extensively about Garrett County, Wisp Resort, and the Deep Creek Lake area.

Wallisch returns to Wisp every May to participate in the Tom Wallisch Memorial Day Weekend Rail Jam. He is sponsored by Monster Energy Drink, Verizon, Scott, Sweet Protection Helmets, Full Tilt (which produces Tom Wallisch Hot Dogger Boots), Skull Candy Headphones, and the North Face. He currently films DVDs with Level 1 Productions, Field Productions and 4bi9 Media.

A 2008 Whitewater Slalom Olympian, Casey Eichfeld started paddling with his dad in whitewater at the age of 18 months. At the age of 8, he was the youngest National Slalom Cadet Team member and the youngest solo competitor at a U.S. Whitewater Slalom Nationals.

Read the rest here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Winter Weather Prognosticator?

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If caterpillars can forecast a mild or severe winter, then what’s this white hay bale one seen along Accident-Bittinger Road trying to tell us? That another record breaking snowfall is headed our way or that there won’t be much snow this winter? In any event, residents of Garrett County and the surrounding area are a hardy bunch of folks (as proven by their handling of last winter’s snowfall) and can tackle just about anything that Mother Nature wants to throw at them. Autumn officially began last week and winter isn’t too far behind. So, drag out those wooly sweater, cut some firewood, and have those snow shovels handy, just in case. Photo by Lisa Broadwater.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

State's First Wind Turbine Facility To Officially Start In January 2011

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Sep. 30, 2010

The official start-up date for Constellation Energy’s Backbone Mountain wind energy facility is the first week of January 2011. Dave Wagner, the Baltimore-based company’s local representative, gave the Garrett County commissioners an update on the 70 megawatt (MW) Criterion Wind Project on Tuesday.

“The project is moving along nicely,” Wagner said, about Maryland’s first wind turbine project.

Tree-clearing and construction for the initiative began this March in the Eagle Rock area and now stretches over an eight-mile area along the ridgeline. Each of the 28 Clipper 2.5MW Liberty wind turbines will be approximately 415 feet tall, to the tip of a blade rotated straight up.

“As of two weeks ago, all of the deliveries for the project have been made – that is, all of the large, oversize deliveries have been made,” Wagner told the commissioners. “In all, we had about 560 large trucks go through Garrett County, escorted by the state police.”

He noted that all of the trucks have arrived, all of the loads have been discharged, and many of the loads have been installed.

Read the full article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Selected As Autumn Glory Parade Grand Marshals

Support the Republican Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!

Athletes Casey Eichfeld and Tom Wallisch are pictured doing what they do best. Eichfeld, above, is a 2008 Whitewater Slalom Olympian, who started paddling with his dad at the age of 18 months. He was named the youngest National Slalom Cadet Team member at age 8 and competed in the 2008 Beijing, China, Olympics, where he placed 11th. Below is Wallisch, who is currently based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., and has had a second home in Garrett County with his parents since 1989. He attends the University of Utah and works as a professional freestyle skier. Wallisch is considered one of the country’s top park skiers. See story for details on Eichfeld and Wallisch and learn more about them at the Meet & Greets slated for the weekend of Autumn Glory.

Read the full article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Rain soaks region; 911 centers report few emergencies

From Staff Reports
The Cumberland Times-News Fri Oct 01, 2010, 07:56 AM EDT

— CUMBERLAND — Steady rain throughout the region, courtesy of Tropical Storm Nicole, prompted various weather-related calls Thursday to local emergency centers. No major injuries were reported.

More than a half-inch of rain fell by 7 a.m. in the city, according to Tim Thomas, local observer of the National Weather Service. The rain began to taper off by 4 p.m. with total rainfall totaling 2.14 inches, according to wunderground.com.

Today’s Accuweather forecast for Cumberland predicts partly sunny conditions and a high temperature of 63 degrees.

As for weather-related activity, the State Highway Administration reported removing a large boulder that rolled from the hillside onto westbound Interstate 68 near the Seton Drive exit at about 9:45 a.m. Thursday. No one was injured and a front-end loader was used to remove the boulder. Cumberland Police controlled traffic until the boulder was removed.

An accident in the 13400 block of McMullen Highway sent two people to the Western Maryland Regional Medical Center for treatment of apparently minor injuries. One vehicle crossed the center line into the path of the other vehicle. Wet road conditions contributed to the crash, Maryland State Police said.

Property damage accidents were reported without injuries at state Route 96, two miles north of Hyndman, shortly before 10 a.m. and on westbound I-68 near the Vocke Road exit at LaVale at about 7:10 a.m., according to the Allegany County 911 center.

Several other accidents and reports of flooded basements were made to emergency centers throughout the day. Apparently none involved serious injuries.

In Garrett County, nearly an inch of rain fell overnight. The wet roadway of eastbound I-68 at Grantsville sent a Ford passenger car out of control but no one was injured. The vehicle slid into a ditch after entering the interstate from the state Route 495 access ramp, police said. No more weather-related calls were reported by either Maryland State Police or the Garrett County 911 center by late afternoon.

In nearby West Virginia, no weather-related calls were reported by late Thursday morning by emergency centers in Mineral and Hampshire counties.

A flood watch was posted by the National Weather Service to remain in effect until 9 p.m. Thursday for Allegany, Hampshire, Pendleton, Hardy, Grant and Mineral counties.

The Maryland Natural Resources Police announced that boating and other recreational use of the Upper Potomac River, including its creeks and streams, should be avoided, based on information received from the National Weather Service and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.

This advisory is in effect through Monday and will be updated as necessary.

The NRP said river levels are now hazardous for recreational use on the entire main stem of the Upper Potomac River from Cumberland to Little Falls.

For the latest information on Potomac River conditions between Cumberland and Little Falls, call the National Weather Service at 703-996-2200.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

MDE approves permit for Casselman mine

Authorization moves project past final development hurdle

Megan Miller
The Cumberland Times-News Fri Oct 01, 2010, 07:59 AM EDT

— GRANTSVILLE — The Maryland Department of the Environment issued a permit this week that essentially cleared the last procedural hurdle preventing development of a coal mine under the Casselman River.

The surface water discharge permit will allow Maryland Energy Resources LLC, a subsidiary of the Indiana, Pa.-based Joseph Peles Coal Company, to discharge an average of 500,000 gallons of mine drainage per day, along with variable volumes of stormwater, into the North Branch of the Casselman from an underground mine.

The proposed mine is comprised of more than 4,600 acres and includes 15 million tons of recoverable coal.

The possibility of development of a coal mine in that area has been discussed openly by public officials since at least 2008. The Casselman Basin, which runs beneath Grantsville, is estimated to contain about 116 million tons of coal, according to MDE.

Maryland Energy Resources applied for the discharge permit in February 2009, but a determination was delayed partly because of concerns expressed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources over the mine’s potential impact on two state endangered species, the hellbender salamander and stonecat fish.

Members of the public echoed those concerns in a May 19 public hearing. They also voiced concerns about acid mine drainage and other issues related to monitoring the mine discharge.

MDE’s written response to public comment stated that the mine will be designed and operated in such a way that water “will not passively flow out of the mine.” The agency stated that management of acid mine drainage and erosion and sediment controls is covered under a separate permit already issued for the project by the Bureau of Mines.

MDE also stated that DNR withdrew its jeopardy opinion regarding the endangered species after reviewing the final conditions of the permit.

Any person who is “adversely affected” by MDE’s decision has until Oct. 30 to request a judicial review in Garrett County Circuit Court, according to the agency.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Governor Martin O’Malley Awards $2.1 Million for Clean Energy Business Development and New Job Creation in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Martin O’Malley announced today the award of $2.1 million in Clean Energy Economic Development Initiative (CEEDI) grants, the latest in a series of grants intended to help create jobs by developing a vibrant clean energy sector. Using federal Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is awarding four performance-based grants that will further clean energy in Maryland while creating 70 full-time jobs and 105 construction jobs by 2012.

These four grants-together with past awards-complete the $5.35 million CEEDI program, which will result in 130 permanent green jobs and 230 temporary development and construction-related jobs during the next 18 months.

“The O’Malley-Brown Administration is committed to promoting Smart, Green and Growing opportunities across Maryland and creating a supportive environment for cutting-edge, innovative projects in clean energy,” said Governor O’Malley. “Maryland developed the unique CEEDI program with the goal of fostering clean energy jobs by investing in clean energy. By working to attract and grow businesses committed to a “greener” Maryland we are moving closer to meeting our long-term goal of generating 20% of Maryland’s energy from clean, renewable sources by 2022.”

• Maryland Energy Recovery of Frostburg will use $612,016 to support the first phase of its 20-megawatt (MW) biomass/coal-mix facility. Later phases of this biomass project could result in as much as 100MW of capacity. Maryland Energy Recovery estimates that this project will result in 18 jobs in Garrett County in 2010.

Read the full article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Work resumes at Roth Rock wind project

From Staff Reports
The Cumberland Times-News Thu Sep 30, 2010, 07:51 AM EDT

— OAKLAND — Construction is again under way on a Garrett County wind project after work was halted for two weeks for violations related to water runoff and soil erosion controls.

On Aug. 25 the Maryland Department of the Environment ordered Annapolis-based developer Synergics and contractor White Construction Co. to stop work on the Roth Rock wind farm until erosion controls at the site were brought into compliance with the project’s permit requirements.

MDE allowed construction to continue Sept. 9 after an inspection confirmed that the site was in compliance, according to MDE spokesman Jay Apperson.

But Apperson declined to comment on the possibility of fines or other punitive measures against Synergics, saying the situation is “still an active case.”

The Roth Rock project will consist of 20 2.5-megawatt wind turbines stretched across about 3 miles of Backbone Mountain near the West Virginia border. It is Garrett County’s second wind project, the other being developed near Eagle Rock by Constellation Energy.

Members of Save Western Maryland, a local wind farm opposition group, alerted MDE of problems at the site July 29. Agency inspectors first went to the site Aug. 3 and found “numerous” violations throughout the project, including some inadequate erosion controls and other areas of construction where there were no controls at all, according to Apperson.

MDE told Synergics to stop all earth-moving work until the violations were corrected, and the developer agreed.

But in another inspection Aug. 24, MDE found that Synergics had continued some earth-moving work, like excavation to prepare for building wind turbine pads.

Apperson said MDE conducts periodic inspections of the site and will continue to do so as construction moves forward.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

MDE Approves Discharge Permit For Grantsville Mine

Deadline For AG Kick-Off Tickets Extended To Oct. 4

Local Athletes Named Grand Marshals For 43rd Annual Autumn Glory Parade

Winter Weather Prognosticator?

State's First Wind Turbine Facility To Officially Start In January 2011

Selected As Autumn Glory Parade Grand Marshals

Rain soaks region; 911 centers report few emergencies

MDE approves permit for Casselman mine

Governor Martin O’Malley Awards $2.1 Million for Clean Energy Business Development and New Job Creation in Maryland

Work resumes at Roth Rock wind project

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