Keep Maryland Beautiful grants award $238,751 for 2025 conservation efforts

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Environmental Trust has approved 20 grants totaling $238,751 to be awarded for environmental education, community cleanup, tree planting, and beautification projects through the Keep Maryland Beautiful program. Presented annually since 1986, the grant program is managed by the Maryland Environmental Trust – a unit of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) – and administered on the department’s […]

Vinegar company settles for $1.1 million over pollution from Baltimore facility

BALTIMORE, MD—Fleischmann’s Vinegar Company has agreed to a $1.1 million settlement for unauthorized discharges of pollution from its Baltimore facility, according to a press release from the Maryland Department of the Environment. The settlement will require the company to conduct regular water quality testing in the Jones Falls, investigate the source of the discharges, and take steps to correct the […]

NOW YOU KNOW: Year-end highlights – part 2

The following is a legislative update from Delegates Kathy Szeliga and Ryan Nawrocki. As we prepare for a new year filled with resolutions and growth, we took some time to review the highlights of what has taken place between the 2023 and upcoming 2024 legislative sessions. Once we return to Baltimore County after Sine Die, the work does not end. […]

Maryland Environment Secretary McIlwain, Attorney General Brown announce settlement of lawsuit over wastewater treatment facilities

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain and Attorney General Anthony G. Brown have announced the settlement of a lawsuit against Baltimore City to address unauthorized discharges of pollution from the state’s two largest sewage treatment plants. The settlement (PDF) includes an enforceable timeline for corrective actions at the city’s Back River and Patapsco wastewater treatment plants. It also includes a […]

Maryland Department of the Environment issues statement after solid material seen floating in Back River [VIDEO]

UPDATE: A Health Alert has been issued advising residents to avoid contact with the water in the Back River. Original story below… —— ESSEX, MD—The Maryland Department of the Environment has issued a statement indicating that it has has begun to take steps toward improving operations at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant after solid materials were spotted floating in […]

Attorney General Frosh files lawsuit for environmental violations at two local wastewater treatment plants

BALTIMORE, MD—Attorney General Brian E. Frosh on Friday filed a lawsuit in Baltimore City circuit court on behalf of the Maryland Department of the Environment to eliminate unpermitted discharges from the two largest wastewater treatment plants in Maryland: the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant. Both plants are owned and operated by Baltimore City. During […]

Olszewski announces former Blue Water Baltimore Executive Director as new Chief Sustainability Officer

TOWSON, MD—On the first day of Earth Week 2021, County Executive Johnny Olszewski on Monday announced that Jennifer Aiosa will serve as Baltimore County’s new Chief Sustainability Officer, where she will lead the County’s efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and to promote enterprise-wide sustainability initiatives. “Leaders at all levels have a responsibility to protect our environment for […]