Annapolis, Maryland – The Maryland Board of Public Works approved CleanBay Renewables’ Inc. (CleanBay) easement request with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Combined with the Somerset County Planning Commission’s unanimous approval in December, CleanBay can move forward with its plans to access its Westover facility through state land via Benson Road.
The easement request, originally in response to neighborhood concerns about truck traffic on Old Princess Anne Road, will improve the quality of Benson Road and grant DNR easier access to its lands which will assist with conservation efforts. The easement also facilitates the installation of a water line connecting the Westover facility to Somerset County Sanitary District’s underutilized water tower off Revells Neck Road.
“CleanBay is committed to being a good neighbor in the areas where we operate and the combination of re-routed facility access, natural sound-abatement and improved access to state-managed land will be beneficial to all involved,” said Thomas Spangler, CleanBay’s Executive Chairman. “We’re also delivering on one of our key company beliefs of improving our environment – we will be donating approximately 15 acres of land to DNR to increase their forest conservation efforts.”
The easement is for an approximately 3,700-foot long, 60-foot wide corridor to improve approximately 2,240 feet of the road including Benson Rd and a forest road on Chesapeake Forest Lands.
“The Maryland Department of Natural Resources was happy to work with CleanBay on this easement request,” said Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary. “Not only will the reduced traffic on Old Princess Road be desirable, but the forested nature of the easement will visually screen and abate sound from traffic. It will also improve DNR’s access to state-managed land.”
Work on the roadways is expected to begin in the summer of 2022.
About CleanBay Renewables Inc.
CleanBay is an enviro-tech company founded in 2013 and focused on the sustainable management of waste through anaerobic digestion and nutrient recovery technologies which produce renewable natural gas and natural, controlled-release fertilizer. The Company’s first bioconversion facility will be located in Maryland, and the company is actively developing sites for future facilities on the Delmarva Peninsula, the Southeast, and California. CleanBay’s powerful solution to reduce air, soil, and water pollution is sustained by a robust economic model that provides businesses with an opportunity to offset their CO2 emissions, local farmers with an alternative use for their poultry litter, and a controlled-release fertilizer to increase food production and support healthy soils.
For more information, visit https://cleanbayrenewables.com.