Commissioner explains flip in support of incinerator

Gray this week acknowledged making those comments, but now believes otherwise.

‘‘Since then, I have come to realize the whole picture,” he said. ‘‘I have changed my approach. ... I did say that. I have to answer to that.”

His answer is that, after visiting incinerators in Europe last spring, he believes they are the best way to dispose of the county’s grounding mounds of trash.

He saw the modern technology that allows trash incineration to be clean. ‘‘I’ve been the most active in researching this,” he said.

Gray said he also believes that incineration, coupled with increased recycling, is the most responsible approach to handle trash. ‘‘In October [2006] I did not realize we had such a short fuse on the landfill,” he said.

Opponents against trash incineration, what people in the industry call ‘‘waste-to-energy” because it burns trash to produce electricity, circulated an e-mail this week calling for Gray to explain his changed position.

‘‘People have not stopped asking me why he has changed his position so drastically,” said Sally Sorbello of Frederick, who is against incineration, in the e-mail. ‘‘I wish they would ask David instead. Needless to say, they are very disappointed that he has.”

She could not be reached for comment Wednesday for her reaction to Gray’s explanation.

Janice Wiles, executive director of Friends of Frederick County, a group that promotes land-use protection, said Wednesday she is disappointed Gray has changed his mind.

Friends of Frederick County has been outspoken in their opposition to waste incineration. ‘‘I hope that he would look further at it,” Wiles said. ‘‘I don’t think the trip to Europe provided enough examples of alternatives to disposing of solid waste.”

Last month, Frederick County commissioners asked Carroll County commissioners to join them in proposals to build an incinerator in Frederick. Carroll County commissioners are holding meetings on the idea, and have yet to make a decision.