Will Congressman Ruppersburger Rescue Turner's Station

AAEA and local activists are hoping that Congressman Dutch Ruppersburger (D-MD), left, and either Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) or Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) will introduce legislation during the abbreviated September session that will provide rescue and relief for the polluted Baltimore community of Turner's Station. We are calling for an expensing tax amendment on the 'hybrid legislation' that would provide tax incentives for some local companies to purchase community residences.

The Turner's Station Expensing Admendment should be added to the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 (H.R. 6049),which amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax incentives for energy production and conservation, to extend expiring tax provisions, and to extend tax benefits to individual and business taxpayers. Amendment to Energy Tax bill:

Allow AES Corporation and Serverstal to expense the purchase of homes and buyout of renters in Turner Station, Baltimore Country, Maryland. Expensing amounts will equal $200,000 for renters, $350,000 for homeowners and $500,000 for apartment building owners owning more than two units. There are approximately 1,000 residences in Turner Station.

Background:

The community exists in the middle of a perfect storm of pollution sources. Turner Station is surrounded by a steel production plant, landfill, electric utility plant and the high power lines run through the community, soil and groundwater chromium contamination, Interstate Highway 695 yards away and nearby Patapsco River dredge spoil. Turner Station has to be the most polluted neighborhood in the United States.

Norris McDonald Statement to FERC

"AAEA Testifies at FERC Hearing On Baltimore LNG Proposal"

"AAEA Promotes Expensing As Environmental Justice Tool"

"Turner Station: The Most Polluted Community on Earth?"

Current and Proposed Facilities Surrounding Turner Station

AES has a proposal to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility on the front end of the Severstal site at Sparrows Point. The facility would be east of Turner's station.

Riverside Power Plant. Constellation Energy owns the 251 megawatt plant located south of Turner Station. The high power lines that run out of the plant form the northern border of Turner Station. According to the Riverside Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reportable releases in 2002 included 522,000 gallons of number 2 fuel oil (diesel fuel), 1,200,000 gallons of keresene, and 485,000 MCF (million cubic feet) of natural gas. The TRI reportable releases for 2003 were 752,000 gallons of number 2 fuel oil, 240,000 gallons of keresene, and 125,000 MCF of natural gas. The plant is south of Turner's station.

Honeywell International. Allied Chemical Company (Allied Signal) produced pesticides at its plant west of Turner Station and large areas around the facility are contaminated with chromium and arsenic. Honeywell International merged with Allied in 1999 and is now responsible for cleanup of the site. The contamination is west of Turner's Station.

Severstal, Russia's largest steelmaker, run by billionaire Alexei Mordashov, purchased and is currently operating the Sparrows Point steel mill southeast of Baltimore for $810 million, fulfilling an antitrust mandate that Arcelor Mittal divest itself of the Mittal Steel plant. The plant is east of Turner's Station.