DENTON, MD - Maryland counties could soon have more control over the regulation of DAF tanks, a move that has stirred controversy in areas like Caroline County and Hebron.
Legislation is making its way to the governor's desk would grant local government leaders more authority over what is stored in these tanks, where it comes from, and permitting.
This relates to the moratoria the Caroline County government put in place in February. Those were put in place to figure out what the county can and cannot control.
The tanks store animal by-products that are later used as fertilizer for farmers. However, neighbors of these tanks frequently complain about the strong odors emanating from them.
"The smell, I mean, it's horrible. It literally smells like death, and you can't enjoy your own yard, you can't enjoy your property because that smell is always there. And as you can see, the wind blows, so we get it all the time," said Amanda Start, a neighbor of a DAF tank on River Road in Caroline County.
The recently passed legislation, approved by both the House and Senate, imposes new regulations on how the storage, and fertilizer produced by these tanks, is utilized.
"So the bill, again, talks about the land use as well as the storage. And for their storage, there are requirements that basically say the county must have the county permit or approval prior to being able to have storage. And then also for the land use, that is completely separate," said Holly Porter, executive director of the Delmarva Chicken Association. "It allows for the counties to be able to develop their own siting and permitting process for storage which I think is important. But it also allows for farmers and those who again use these responsibly to continue to do so just as a permitting process now," added Porter.
Porter hopes that these regulations will encourage more responsible farming practices.
"Hearing some of these concerns by people who unfortunately were dealing with people who are not using it responsibly, as we've emphasized, there are dozens of other farmers throughout the state who have been using it responsibly that folks never knew about," said Porter.
Neighbors of these tanks agree that the new legislation is a step in the right direction.
"I think it's good the counties have control, but I just hope they are able to enforce that control," said Start.
The bill still needs to be signed by Governor Wes Moore. If passed, it will become effective on July 1. The Delmarva Chicken Association stated that they want to reach out to Caroline County to discuss amendments they want to look at in order for storage to be allowed in the county.
