US To Probe Civil Rights Complaint Against Proposed Md. Power Plant

"Two federal agencies announced this week that they will investigate whether Maryland regulators discriminated against a majority-black community by issuing a permit last fall to build a natural-gas power plant in southern Prince George’s County.

Residents of rural Brandywine, working with the environmental advocacy group Earthjustice, filed a civil rights complaint last month alleging that air pollution from the proposed Panda Mattawoman power plant would disproportionately affect their unincorporated town, which is 72 percent African American.

Two power plants already exist in the Brandywine area, and two more, including Panda Mattawoman, are proposed within 15 miles."

Josh Hicks reports for the Washington Post June 15, 2016.

Source: Wash Post, 06/17/2016