In a sweeping agreement hailed as a major victory for both environmental advocates and energy stakeholders, Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced a $340 million deal with Constellation Energy Corporation to fund environmental restoration projects at the Conowingo Dam in Harford County.
“This is a win for the environment. It's a win for the economy, and it's a win for our people,” Moore said at the October 2 press conference. “Together we are advancing an all-of-the-above approach to affordable and abundant energy.”
The deal marks the end of more than a decade of legal battles between the state, Constellation Energy, and environmental groups over the dam’s federal license renewal. The Conowingo Dam, a hydroelectric facility on the Susquehanna River, plays a critical role in regional energy production and environmental health, particularly in relation to the Chesapeake Bay.
Under the new agreement, Constellation will invest over $340 million in environmental improvements over the 50-year life of the dam’s renewed license. The funding will support a wide range of initiatives, including pollution reduction, trash and debris removal, silt dredging, fish passage projects, freshwater mussel restoration, shoreline stabilization, forest buffer creation, and the planting of underwater grasses that help oxygenate the water and provide habitat for aquatic life.
Robin Broder of Waterkeepers Chesapeake, one of the lead environmental groups involved in the negotiations, emphasized the significance of the deal’s structure.
“We think it's a pretty huge deal,” Broder said. “A lot of the payment schedule is such that it's more upfront payments so you can get practices in the ground. You can get restoration started.”
Broder noted that some projects, like the construction of a freshwater mussel hatchery and operational changes at the dam, will begin almost immediately. “We really pushed—and so did the state of Maryland—to get more upfront payments to get things going,” she said. “It'll take a while to see the restoration impacts of the river and into the bay. But as the fisheries start to rebound, the habitats start to recover. That's what we'll be seeing.”
The agreement is a significant expansion over a previous deal that was rejected in 2022, which had committed just over $200 million. The new deal not only increases the financial commitment but also reflects a broader consensus among stakeholders.
Constellation CEO Joseph Dominguez acknowledged the long and difficult road to resolution. “It shouldn't have taken us 10 years to sort through all of the issues here, and that's a bit disappointing,” he said. “But the resolution to those permitting issues often requires people coming together that have different interests that sometimes have conflicting interests.”
The legal saga began in 2014 when Constellation spent four years seeking a required state certification. After further litigation and a settlement with the state, environmental groups including Waterkeepers Chesapeake, the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, Shore Rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation challenged the final federal license in 2022—and won. That victory paved the way for the current agreement.
Ted Evgeniadis, the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, reflected on the long fight. “We have been in this fight, and I like to fight because it's been a fight for the river to get proper condition of Conowingo Dam,” he said.
While the deal secures the dam’s federal license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, environmental advocates stress that the work is far from over.
“This is sort of the beginning of a new chapter,” Broder said. “And there's still work to be done and advocacy to be done.”
Among the ongoing challenges is addressing pollution that enters the river and bay from upstream and downstream sources. Advocates say continued vigilance and collaboration will be essential to ensure the long-term health of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
Conowingo Dam Deal Funds Chesapeake Bay Restoration
