This past Monday, I took a road trip to Williamsport, MD where CCAN and our coalition partners are hosting a community forum about the R. Paul Smith coal-fired power plant located just blocks away from the center of town. I checked out the location for the forum, the cozy and welcoming public library, and after meeting with our hosts, I decided to check out the plant itself.

I drove just a few blocks from the main road and immediately saw an ungainly structure looming above the town cemetery. With the sun setting, it was an ominous sight.

This plant just got a water pollution permit approved by the Maryland Department of the Environment that does little to address the heavy metals in coal waste; even though it sits directly on the canal that residents and tourists enjoy rollerblading, fishing, biking, and walking near. This is why we’re hosting the forum. We want to provide the residents of Williamsport with information about the plant and the potential impacts it has on the surrounding environment.

Whether you live in Williamsport, downwind, upstream, are just plain interested, we hope you can make it out! And never fear; we’ll have light refreshments. RSVP here!