Maryland Conservation Council
Encyclopedia
The Maryland Conservation Council (MCC) is a coalition
of environmental organization
s that has been active since the early 1970s. MCC aims to protect the environment
in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed
, with special attention to Maryland
. During the Maryland General Assembly
legislative session (January through April each year), MCC publishes a weekly legislative update, Conservation Reports. One of MCC's earliest projects involved the protection of Cove Point in Calvert County, Maryland
, which resulted in the formation of Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust.
The MCC's Goals are to protect
Conservationists today are faced with a serious dilemma. They are certain that the use of fossil fuel
s is leading toward a global catastrophe. But at the same time they are increasingly aware that many types of renewable energy, because of the large amount of land that they require, will have a seriously detrimental impact on the natural world, especially if their use expands.
The MCC has concluded that nuclear energy, which produces no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas
es, (1) also has a smaller footprint or impact on biological diversity compared to wind, solar, or biomass; in some cases, orders of magnitude smaller. When cost is stripped of various forms of governmental assistance, and the actual, not theoretical, effectiveness is used to calculate the size of the installation needed to generate a given amount of electricity, nuclear power
is the least expensive.
The MCC has also concluded that commercial reactors of the type now used in the United States have a sound safety record, even considering the accident at Three Mile Island
(TMI), and that there is no credible evidence that there has been harm to health by these reactors. MCC further concluded that the hazards of transporting used nuclear fuel have been badly exaggerated, and that recent proposals about the storage of used fuel will reduce the technological difficulty of construction a long-term repository.
The MCC's Board voted at its November 2007 meeting to support Constellation Energy Group’s proposal to build a third nuclear reactor at its Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
in Charles County
.
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
of environmental organization
Environmental organization
An environmental organization is an organization that seeks to protect, analyze or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation or lobby for these goals....
s that has been active since the early 1970s. MCC aims to protect the environment
Environment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
in the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, with special attention to Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. During the Maryland General Assembly
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
legislative session (January through April each year), MCC publishes a weekly legislative update, Conservation Reports. One of MCC's earliest projects involved the protection of Cove Point in Calvert County, Maryland
Calvert County, Maryland
Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It occupies the Calvert Peninsula which is bordered on the east by the Chesapeake Bay and on the west by the Patuxent River. Calvert County is part of the Southern Maryland region. Calvert County's residents are among the highest...
, which resulted in the formation of Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust.
The MCC's Goals are to protect
- Scenic wild rivers and Appalachian hardwood forests in the Allegheny Plateau of Western Maryland;
- Sandy beaches on the barrier islands of the Atlantic Ocean with productive yet fragile bays behind them;
- Cypress swamps along an ancient black water river and vast wetlands providing winter habitat for migrating waterfowl on the Coastal Plain of the Eastern Shore;
- Geologically significant features and species rich forests and rivers in the Piedmont;
- The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries which once produced vast quantities of aquatic resources.
Conservationists today are faced with a serious dilemma. They are certain that the use of fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
s is leading toward a global catastrophe. But at the same time they are increasingly aware that many types of renewable energy, because of the large amount of land that they require, will have a seriously detrimental impact on the natural world, especially if their use expands.
The MCC has concluded that nuclear energy, which produces no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
es, (1) also has a smaller footprint or impact on biological diversity compared to wind, solar, or biomass; in some cases, orders of magnitude smaller. When cost is stripped of various forms of governmental assistance, and the actual, not theoretical, effectiveness is used to calculate the size of the installation needed to generate a given amount of electricity, nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
is the least expensive.
The MCC has also concluded that commercial reactors of the type now used in the United States have a sound safety record, even considering the accident at Three Mile Island
Three Mile Island accident
The Three Mile Island accident was a core meltdown in Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, United States in 1979....
(TMI), and that there is no credible evidence that there has been harm to health by these reactors. MCC further concluded that the hazards of transporting used nuclear fuel have been badly exaggerated, and that recent proposals about the storage of used fuel will reduce the technological difficulty of construction a long-term repository.
The MCC's Board voted at its November 2007 meeting to support Constellation Energy Group’s proposal to build a third nuclear reactor at its Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
The Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay near Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland.-Overview:...
in Charles County
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
.