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

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

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

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

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

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 […]

Drought Warning issued for parts of central Maryland

BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Department of the Environment on Wednesday urged public water systems, citizens and businesses in parts of the state to continue voluntary water use restrictions as a drought watch issued earlier this summer has been upgraded to a warning. “Water conservation is a good practice year-round, but we are asking water systems to take extra precautions as dry […]

Attorney General Brown sues 3M, Dupont, and other chemical manufacturers for PFAS contamination of Maryland’s waters

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on Tuesday announced two lawsuits, filed on behalf of the State of Maryland, the Maryland Department of Environment, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Maryland Department of Health, seeking to hold multiple chemical manufacturers accountable for widespread and continuing contamination of Maryland’s natural resources and harm to public health. The lawsuits […]