Serena McIlwain Archives

Maryland Department of the Environment announces $1.7 million in community projects, progress on pollution reduction at Back River and Patapsco River Wastewater Treatment Plants

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Chris Montcalmo

ESSEX, MD—The Maryland Department of the Environment, Chesapeake Bay Trust, and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced grants for 21 community-driven environmental projects at two major wastewater treatment plants. The $1.7 million in funding aims to improve water quality, reduce pollution, and enhance green spaces. The announcement was made at Cox’s Point Park in Essex on Back River, where significant progress […]

Maryland Department of Environment announces $47 million in Clean Water Commerce Act funding for Chesapeake Bay health, economy

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Chris Montcalmo

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland has announced $47 million in funding for 15 projects aimed at reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. The Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) says the projects will use a “pay-for-success” model, incentivizing farmers and landowners to implement pollution-reducing practices. The projects will receive funding based on their ability to demonstrate cost-effective clean water solutions. These projects include shoreline […]

Governor Moore announces recommendations to modernize state permitting, remove barriers to employment

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Chris Montcalmo

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Wes Moore has announced preliminary recommendations from the Government Efficiency Commission to modernize Maryland’s occupational permitting and licensing processes. The recommendations aim to streamline vendor credentialing, improve permitting reliability and predictability, and eliminate employment barriers for all Marylanders. “Modernizing state government is not just a talking point for us — it’s a governing philosophy,” Moore said. “As we […]

Maryland Department of the Environment opens application period for grants to purchase electric school buses

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Chris Montcalmo

BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Department of the Environment is now accepting applications for $3 million in grants to purchase electric school buses, in a move to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The grants will fund the replacement of diesel buses with electric buses. “As we build the green economy and a healthier future, our schoolchildren are a great […]

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

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Chris Montcalmo

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 […]

Attorney General, MDE file complaint against Joppa developer, homebuilder, contractor over water pollution violations

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Chris Montcalmo

JOPPA, MD—The Maryland Department of the Environment, on behalf of the Attorney General, has filed a complaint against a developer, homebuilder, and contractor for multiple water pollution violations at the Ridgely’s Reserve development in Harford County. The complaint (PDF), filed Friday in Harford County Circuit Court, alleges that the Ridgely’s Reserve development and its associated sewer line project caused “numerous […]

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

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Chris Montcalmo

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 […]

Governor Moore named Chesapeake Executive Council chair

Posted on October 21, 2023 by Chris Montcalmo

ANNAPOLIS, MD—This week, Governor Wes Moore was unanimously elected to serve as chair of the bipartisan Chesapeake Executive Council during a meeting hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C.. The council, which serves as the primary policy and leadership body of the formal Chesapeake Bay Partnership’s effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, is comprised of the nine signatories […]

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