History, Charge and Term:

The Hazardous Waste Facilities Siting Board was created in 1980 (Chapter 528, Acts of 1980). It transferred to the Department of Natural Resources in 1983 (Chapter 388, Acts of 1983). In 1993, the Board was moved to the Department of the Environment (Chapter 149, Acts of 1993).

The Board provides an alternative to local approval of hazardous waste facilities to ensure that the State has enough facilities to dispose of its hazardous waste. The Board can issue a Certificate of Public Necessity exempting a facility from any regulation, policy, law or ordinance of local subdivisions. Certificates are issued after careful study of environmental and community impact. In addition to site suitability and impact of the facility, the Board considers statewide needs and problems associated with hazardous waste management.

The Board consists of eight members appointed to four-year terms by the Governor. The Governor names the chair (Code Environment Article, Secs. 7-401 through 7-413).

Current Membership:

BGEN James W. Hunt, (Ret), Chair
Andreas Bilmanis, Sr., Michael Powell.

Meeting Schedule:

No regularly scheduled meetings at this time.

MDE Contact:

Edward Hammerberg, MDE/LMA, 1800 Washington Blvd., Baltimore MD 21230, Ed.Hammerberg@maryland.gov, 410-537-3356, toll free in Maryland (800) 633-6101 ext. 3356.​