Adam Willis

thebanner.comOnce slated for wind energy, shipyard will instead build submarine partsFive years after a section of southeastern Baltimore County was identified as a cradle of wind turbines, that land will be used for a massive weapons manufacturing facility.

Not long ago, it looked like Sparrows Point would be a cradle for US offshore wind. Political winds have turned since then, and this week Trump visited the shipyard to herald replacement of wind turbine manufacturing with nuclear subs. w @hayesgardner.bsky.social: www.thebanner.com/economy/spar...

Adam Willis reposted

Hayes Gardner

@hayesgardner.bsky.social

Replying to @hayesgardner.bsky.social

The move highlights a stark reversal of fortune for Maryland’s offshore wind industry, a favorite of the state’s Democratic leadership but a longtime punching bag for Republican President Donald Trump. w/ @adampwillis.bsky.social: www.thebanner.com/economy/spar...

Adam Willis reposted

Hayes Gardner

@hayesgardner.bsky.social

Wind turbines are out. Submarines are in. Five years after a historic Sparrows Point shipyard was identified as a cradle of wind energy, that land will instead be used for an even bigger weapons manufacturing facility, creating 3,100 jobs.

Adam Willis reposted

A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of the Environment said in a statement Friday that inspectors estimate nearly 11,000 fish died across 25 species, with preliminary findings suggesting the die-off was caused by an overflow at a Kilby Farms manure lagoon. buff.ly/9z3DdQV

Barely a week after our story on a northeast Maryland fight between neighbors and a dairy farmer over pollution of a beloved trout stream, the water again brimmed with dead fish — almost 11,000 of them. Video courtesy of neighbor Chris Thomas: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

thebanner.comA farmer won’t stop dumping cow manure into a beloved stream, the state saysA Cecil County dairy farm faces lawsuits and scrutiny after repeated pollution in a stream called Basin Run. The Maryland Department of the Environment says releases from Kilby Farms are to blame — an...

The dairy operation is due for a hearing later this month in a Cecil County courtroom, part of the state’s case over repeated manure discharges at the property. Read the original story on the farmer, a fisherman and the fight over Basin Run here: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

thebanner.comMoore wanted to ‘supercharge’ Maryland data centers. Now he’s changing course.Moore is trying to balance the allure of an economic driver that has labor support against calls for regulation from environmentalists and community groups.

In 2024, Gov. Wes Moore pushed a bill to cut regulatory reviews for data centers, policy he said would "supercharge" the industry in Maryland. Since then, data centers have become a political mine field, and Moore is changing course. w/@brendawintrode.bsky.social: www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

Adam Willis reposted

Julie Bykowicz

@bykowicz.bsky.social

Governors are in a tough spot on data centers. Here's how Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is navigating one of the country's biggest political issues. @brendawintrode.bsky.social @adampwillis.bsky.social @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

Adam Willis reposted

Brenda Wintrode

@brendawintrode.bsky.social

Gov. Wes Moore said early in his term he would work to create a "bright future" for data centers in Maryland. Since then, the politics surrounding them has shifted. He and other governors are reacting to public outrage over the projects. w/ @adampwillis.bsky.social tinyurl.com/2xd4j7ut

tinyurl.comMoore wanted to ‘supercharge’ Maryland data centers. Now he’s changing course.Moore is trying to balance the allure of an economic driver that has labor support against calls for regulation from environmentalists and community groups.

Adam Willis reposted

Don Boesch 🇺🇦🇬🇱

@donboesch.bsky.social

Another fine homage to my dear friend and colleague Walter Boynton. I was delighted to collaborate with him in his last scientific paper on why and how we can finally achieve clean water goals for the Chesapeake. Thanks @adampwillis.bsky.social.

Baltimore Banner@thebaltimorebanner.com

Walter Boynton, folksy dean of Chesapeake Bay science, dies

buff.lyWalter Boynton, folksy dean of Chesapeake Bay science, diesBoynton, 79, died Sept. 14 at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., after a long-term illness.

Adam Willis reposted

Brenda Wintrode

@brendawintrode.bsky.social

Facing data center backlash, Moore lays out a plan but not a pause, his response to the turmoil over the industry’s aggressive development . W/ @adampwillis.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

thebanner.comFacing data center backlash, Moore lays out a plan but not a pauseThe announcement comes as concerns about data center growth have become a top political issue across Maryland and the country

21 Sept

In northeast Maryland, a fisherman, a farmer and the fight over a fouled trout stream. My story on a rare escalation in one of the state’s longest simmering pollution battles, for @thebaltimorebanner.com: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyA farmer won’t stop dumping cow manure into a beloved stream, the state saysA Cecil County dairy farm faces lawsuits and scrutiny after repeated pollution in a stream called Basin Run. The Maryland Department of the Environment says releases from Kilby Farms are to blame —...

21 Sept

A fisherman, a farmer and the fight over a fouled Maryland stream

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyThe tulip poplar is Baltimore's new city tree. It took a footrace to decide.Baltimore has chosen the tuliptree as its new official city tree, replacing the invasive callery pear after a months-long public vote and a decidedly dramatic race at Cylburn Arboretum.

8 Sept

After 52 years, Baltimore picks a native for its official tree. It was kinda dramatic.

Adam Willis reposted

Dylan Segelbaum

@dylansegelbaum.bsky.social

1 Sept

By @adampwillis.bsky.social: A mysterious new disease is poised to devastate Maryland’s beech trees. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com) (📸: @jphotoj.bsky.social)

thebanner.comA mysterious new disease is poised to devastate a beloved Maryland treeThe disease can kill a young beech in a matter of a few years, while more mature trees may die within a decade.

Adam Willis reposted

Cody Boteler

@codyboteler.bsky.social

1 Sept

A sad piece of news but a rather beautiful piece of nature writing from @adampwillis.bsky.social in @thebaltimorebanner.com today, on beech leaf disease:

thebanner.comA mysterious new disease is poised to devastate a beloved Maryland treeThe disease can kill a young beech in a matter of a few years, while more mature trees may die within a decade.

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyA mysterious new disease is poised to devastate a beloved Maryland treeThe disease can kill a young beech in a matter of a few years, while more mature trees may die within a decade.

1 Sept

A mysterious new disease is poised to devastate Maryland’s beech trees

thebanner.comWater in this Western Maryland community is so expensive that residents put off bathingIn Allegany County, water rationing is driving a government takeover of a corporate-owned utility.

17 Aug

In a Western Maryland community, water costs have climbed so high under private utility ownership that many are rationing, single shower weeks are commonplace & the county is attempting a government takeover of the water system. For @thebaltimorebanner.com: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

17 Aug

In less than four years, water costs in Pinto have doubled. One county commissioner described the situation there as “criminal,” but the bulk of these costs were approved by Maryland utility regulators.

17 Aug

As companies like American Water buy up distressed systems, communities like Pinto in Allegany County are increasingly served by a small number of conglomerates seeking a profit. Leaders there plan to test whether they can do the job better than a Wall Street-backed corporation

thebanner.comHow one Maryland county defeated an Amazon data centerThe company abandoned its data center plan last week after Calvert County voters ousted three members of their Republican commission.

11 Aug

When southern Maryland residents learned county officials had secretly courted data centers, the community went into near-revolt. They ousted three county commissioners, and, last week, Amazon pulled the plug on its project. Story w/ @briaovers.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Adam Willis reposted

Julie Bykowicz

@bykowicz.bsky.social

11 Aug

This is a must-read with incredible details that says so much about society’s turn on data centers. From @thebaltimorebanner.com reporters @briaovers.bsky.social @adampwillis.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyTrump administration admits it axed energy grants because Maryland voted against himDepartment of Energy attorneys admitted in recent court filings that it cancelled grants, including over $80 million for Maryland projects, based on how states voted in the 2024 presidential election.

4 Aug

Trump administration admits cancellation of Maryland energy grants was political

Adam Willis reposted

thebanner.comFeds approve sale of Potomac River power plant to data center developerApproval of TeraWulf’s purchase of the Morgantown Generating Station marks an early step in the Easton-based company’s plan to overhaul the contaminated coal site and use it to power a data center com...

29 July

New: Federal energy regulators approved the sale of an old Potomac River coal plant today to Maryland-based TeraWulf, which hopes to reboot the site with natural gas and use it to power a data center complex: www.thebanner.com/economy/grow...

29 July

thebanner.comWhy is Baltimore’s pistachio tide starting earlier and getting worse?The phenomenon, known locally as a “pistachio tide,” has taken over Baltimore’s central waterway this week. It seems to be happening earlier and experts say it’s getting worse.

17 July

Dystopian-feeling in downtown Baltimore this week. Wildfire smoke from Ontario is thick. Meanwhile, the harbor's pistachio tides are back, earlier than usual and seemingly getting worse: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyBaltimore’s most beautiful (sewage) building gets a $63M upgradeThe historic Eastern Avenue Pumping Station has kept Baltimore's wastewater moving since 1912. Now the city is investing $63 million to modernize it.

11 July

This Baltimore sewage building is beautiful. Now it’s getting a $63M upgrade.

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyHow the Port of Baltimore is bringing lost islands back to the Chesapeake BayA decades-old operation to recycle dredge spoils from the Port of Baltimore is entering a new chapter

14 July

Maryland digs deep to reclaim islands swallowed by Chesapeake Bay

thebanner.comIf Maryland can’t save a river that ‘went to hell,’ can it save the bay?Disappointment in the progress of the Corsica raises a bigger, more troubling question. If, in two decades, officials can’t revive one relatively small tributary, can they really save the bay?

8 July

In 2005, Gov. Robert Ehrlich unveiled a "grand experiment" to revive one small Eastern Shore river. He hoped to chart a blueprint for restoring the Chesapeake Bay. But two decades later, the Corsica River remains sick, and progress has slowed to a crawl: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

8 July

The Corsica has improved substantially, but at points in the last 10 years its nitrogen concentrations have gone up, not down, @ajv.bsky.social and I found in federal data on the river's health. Some feel it's time to move on. Others believe the Corsica could still be a model.

8 July

Disappointment in the Corsica raises a bigger, more troubling question: If in two decades officials can’t revive one relatively small tributary, can they really save the bay? @ajv.bsky.social and I dove into the 20 year effort to save one Maryland tributary: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

thebanner.comA data center developer wanted a power plant. He needed Moore’s help.Emails obtained by The Baltimore Banner offer a new window into Gov. Wes Moore’s approach to an emerging data center industry. His decision to back a controversial development in southern Maryland rai...

20 June

Last fall, an energy mogul begged Wes Moore to back his data center complex. It worked. Records offer a rare window into how a wealthy & politically connected businessman won the governor’s endorsement for his controversial foray into Maryland data centers: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyA data center developer wanted a power plant. He needed Moore’s help.Emails obtained by The Baltimore Banner offer a new window into Gov. Wes Moore’s approach to an emerging data center industry. His decision to back a controversial development in southern Maryland raises...

20 June

An energy mogul begged Moore to back his data center complex. It worked.

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyIs Baltimore’s public works department too big? A ballot measure would split it.The proposal, backed by Mayor Brandon Scott, City Council President Zeke Cohen and Comptroller Bill Henry, comes after bondholders downgraded Baltimore’s debt rating on its sewer system this year.

29 May

Is Baltimore’s public works department too big? A ballot measure would split it.

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyCould Baltimore unearth the Jones Falls? An art project imagines it in 2076.Curators behind a new exhibition ask Baltimore to picture the Jones Falls in 50 years. Does it have a highway on top? How about gondolas?

26 May

Could Baltimore unearth the Jones Falls? An art project imagines it in 2076.

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyCourt agrees that Baltimore’s old vinegar plant is no longer polluting Jones FallsFleischmann’s Vinegar, owned by the Ireland-based food conglomerate Kerry Group, entered into the court-monitored cleanup plan with Blue Water Baltimore in April 2024 and agreed to a $1.3 million settlement.

23 Apr

5 years after fish kill, old vinegar plant is no longer polluting Jones Falls

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyThe Key Bridge took her daughter’s father. Now, ICE is moving to deport her.Zoila Guerra Sandoval, a native of Guatemala who has lived in Maryland for nearly two decades, is the former partner of José Mynor López, one of the workers repairing the Key Bridge overnight when the...

24 Apr

The Key Bridge took her daughter’s father. Now, ICE is moving to deport her.

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyIs Exelon a political punching bag, or the most powerful company in Annapolis?Exelon, whose subsidiaries include Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and Potomac Electric Power Co., became a punching bag — in one case literally — for Democrats looking to establish populist bona fides...

13 Apr

Maryland Democrats turned Exelon into a punching bag. The real fight is just starting.

Adam Willis reposted

Dylan Segelbaum

@dylansegelbaum.bsky.social

9 Apr

Companies that rained lead paint from TV tower in North Baltimore agree to $2M settlement, @adampwillis.bsky.social reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)

thebanner.comCompanies to pay $2M after raining lead on North Baltimore community from TV towerLead paint rained down on a half-mile radius in North Baltimore during 2022 work on a TV tower, covering homes, a day care and a playground.

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyMaryland Democrats can’t agree on how to save you $150 a year on energy billsRatepayer advocates argue that recent changes undercut Democrats’ promises to cut energy bills in Maryland.

8 Apr

Maryland Democrats can’t agree on how to save you $150 a year on energy bills

Adam Willis reposted

thebanner.comMaryland high court dismisses local lawsuits against Big OilThe Maryland Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed lawsuits brought by Baltimore, Annapolis and Anne Arundel County against more than two dozen oil and gas giants.

25 Mar

Maryland Supreme Court throws out Baltimore’s lawsuit against oil companies www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyHow a screaming stranger got a developer to dream big about the Jones FallsA Baltimore developer was at the center of a charged conflict over the future of a dump in the Remington neighborhood, a controversy that has gotten him thinking bigger about the future of the beloved...

23 Mar

How a screaming stranger got a developer to dream big about the Jones Falls

thebanner.comHow a screaming stranger got a developer to dream big about the Jones FallsA Baltimore developer was at the center of a charged conflict over the future of a dump in the Remington neighborhood, a controversy that has gotten him thinking bigger about the future of the beloved...

23 Mar

After a developer's bid for a Remington dump backfired, he's thinking bigger. Seawall reached a deal this month that looks to some like a step toward a long-held Baltimore dream: to turn the banks of the beleaguered Jones Falls into a park. w @emilyopilo.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyData center developer wants to reboot a Potomac River power plant with natural gasA prominent Eastern Shore developer has reached a deal to take over a retired coal-fired power plant on the Potomac River --Morgantown Generating Station -- and reboot it to run data centers. Does Gov....

20 Mar

Data center developer wants to reboot a Potomac River power plant with natural gas

Adam Willis reposted

buff.lyIt was supposed to be a bumper year for oysters. Maryland watermen want disaster aid instead.Nearing the end of Maryland's worst oyster harvests in years, Gov. Wes Moore appealed to President Donald Trump for disaster aid. But whether the Chesapeake Bay's oystermen will get help from the federal...

8 Mar

It was supposed to be a bumper year for oysters. Maryland watermen want disaster aid instead.

Adam Willis reposted

Brenda Wintrode

@brendawintrode.bsky.social

8 Mar

It was supposed to be a good year for Maryland's oyster harvest. A "perfect storm" of disasters in recent months now have watermen asking for federal aid, reports @adampwillis.bsky.social . www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

thebanner.comIt was supposed to be a bumper year for oysters. Maryland watermen want disaster aid instead.Nearing the end of Maryland's worst oyster harvests in years, Gov. Wes Moore appealed to President Donald Trump for disaster aid. But whether the Chesapeake Bay's oystermen will get help from the fede...

bayjournal.comA better Chesapeake Bay demands a realistic look at farm pollutionThe Chesapeake Bay region achieved just 16% of its farm runoff objective, according to Chesapeake Bay Program estimates, even though state and federal agencies ramped up funding to help farmers

4 Mar

This by Karl Blankenship is essential reading for anyone hoping to understand the challenge to cleaner water in the Chesapeake Bay: www.bayjournal.com/ag-and-the-b...

thebanner.comCiting lack of sewage capacity, Anne Arundel suspends development in part of countyA Anne Arundel Public Works spokesperson said officials learned last month from Baltimore City that they could not purchase additional capacity in the sewage system, prompting the suspension that the ...

3 Mar

Strange situation out of Anne Arundel County: Officials say sewage capacity on a system flowing into a Baltimore treatment pant is at its limit, prompting a moratorium on development for an area in the middle of the I-95 corridor. Fix could take 5 years: www.thebanner.com/economy/grow...