FY2025 Proposed Operating and Capital Budgets

FY2025 Proposed Budget Organizational Budgets

Division of Energy & Environment

renegotiated or a new strategy developed to meet the county’s SREC requirement for its RPS. Though there is not a current budgeted item for a large-scale Power Purchase Agreement, we are exploring options that include being an off taker on the state’s offshore wind procurement. The ownership of clean energy contracts and assets also provides a strategy to stabilize longer term electricity pricing. DEE staff manage the Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) produced by County installations in partnership wi th other Divisions. In FY’24, DEE offset 100% of the County’s Building Electricity portfolio with national Green-e certified wind RECs. DEE completed a grant-supported feasibility study for rooftop solar and a microgrid at the Prospect Center designed to protect critical 911 Emergency Operations and IT functions during grid outages, while providing a resilience hub for community members to charge medical equipment. During FY’24, the Prospect Center Microgrid moved to design; DEE facilitated a P3 partnership at this facility. We are finalizing the scope of a Solar Siting Study to identify opportunities to meet Frederick County’s share of the State’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and will include the contributions of a Stakeholder Advisory Group. In FY’25 we will begin implementation of the results of this study, take the Prospect Center Microgrid through design, and evaluate long term power purchase agreements for clean energy to provide 100% of the County’s electricity usage. A Project Manager position is requested to manage this vital program.

Figure 3: Proposed solar assets at the Prospect Center

The Department of Stormwater The Department of Stormwater’s purpose is to provide clean, well -managed waterways and flood-safe communities. We protect, monitor, enhance, and restore Frederick County’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This work is structured by the requirements of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and Maryland’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit; as well as the General Permit for Discharges from Stormwater Associated with Industrial Activities (20-SW). The following key programs help meet the stormwater requirements:

· Permit Administration · Watershed Restoration · Hazard Mitigation and Resilience Planning · Pollution Reduction · Water Quality Assessments and Monitoring · Community Engagement and Outreach

Permit Administration covers compliance with stormwater-related Clean Water Act permits. On December 30, 2022, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) issued Frederick County’s fifth NPDES MS4 Permit. Along with the previous requirements of the last permit cycle, this new Permit now includes more stringent housekeeping plans, requirement of salt management plans, sustaining or replacement of annual practices used for crediting in the last permit (this includes trades as well as several other practices), yearly restoration implementation benchmarks, increased stream monitoring requirements, and additional requirements for monitoring of restoration practices after they are implemented. The level of effort required for impervious surface restoration is 1,027 acres, in addition to the original 1,981 from previous permit, to be implemented in accordance with the 2021 Accounting Guidance by end of the 5-year Permit term. In addition to that requirement, MDE is requiring additional climate resiliency and environmental justice parameters to be designed into any future projects. These parameters have the potential to increase the cost and time needed for Permit implementation in a way that cannot yet be predicted.

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