On May 31, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Healthy Air Act, a bill to reduce emissions from the dirtiest power plants in the state. Gov. Ehrlich signed the bill one week later.

The Healthy Air Act will require the six dirtiest power plants in Maryland to reduce the pollution that causes smog, soot, global warming, the dead zone in the bay, and mercury contamination of fish. It will require reductions of 75 percent in nitrogen oxide emissions, 85 percent in sulfur dioxide, 90 percent in mercury and 10 percent in carbon dioxide.

The bill is the strongest legislation limiting power plant emissions ever passed by any state in the country.

The law, sponsored by Sen. Paul Pinsky and Del. James Hubbard, both from Prince George’s County, passed in the state Senate on May 20 by a vote of 33-14. The House of Delegates passed the bill the following week by a vote of 107-27.

Years of Work
Environment Maryland advocated for this bill for four years—most of it through the former home of our environmental work, Maryland PIRG.

Staff and advocates of Environment Maryland arranged panels of experts to testify at hearings and released seven research reports on the issue. We were on the scene throughout each legislative session to meet with lawmakers, respond to misinformation from the bill’s opponents, and work with reporters to ensure accurate coverage.

Environment Maryland also knocked on tens of thousands of doors throughout the state to engage the public on the campaign.

“This campaign makes for a good blueprint of how to put a major issue on the table, gradually overcome strong opposition, and win over enough support to pass a strong new law,” said Environment Maryland State Director Brad Heavner. “A lot of people put in a lot of hard work, and we were happy to be quarterbacking the effort.”

Groundbreaking Policy
The new law closes a loophole in the federal Clean Air Act that power companies have exploited for decades. The loophole allowed companies to avoid installing modern pollution controls on their oldest power plants.

The bill also requires the largest sources of mercury emissions to install best available technology and requires Maryland to participate in a regional global warming agreement with seven other East Coast states.

This marks the first time that mercury and global warming pollution from power plants will be subject to limits. It will save an estimated 500 lives per year, reduce nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, and make fish safer to eat.