As the new home of Maryland PIRG's environmental work, Environment Maryland can be contacted regarding this update.
Healthy Air Act (SB 154/HB 189)
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% in nitrogen oxide emissions, 85% in sulfur dioxide, 90% in mercury, and 10% in carbon dioxide. As a whole, the bill is the strongest power plant emissions legislation ever passed by any state in the country.
The new law closes a loophole in the federal Clean Air Act that power companies have exploited for decades to avoid installing modern pollution controls. It 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.
Smarter Development for Maryland (HB 1141)
The Land Use and Local Government Planning Bill makes several important
changes to how local jurisdictions in Maryland plan for and manage
development, including their plans for growth, annexation and water
use.
• The bill requires that all counties and cities develop a growth
element as part of their comprehensive plans. This element provides a
thorough analysis of the jurisdiction’s past and future growth,
including opportunities for redevelopment, the land area and public
services required to sustain growth, and the impact on sensitive areas.
• City annexations of county land must be in the comprehensive plan.
The city and county must go through a joint planning agreement subject
to mediation for new annexations to occur.
• The bill also requires that counties and cities include water quality
and quantity in their comprehensive plans. It prohibits them from
making zoning changes unless developers can demonstrate that the water
exists to serve proposed new developments.
In another smart growth victory, Program Open Space received all of the money collected for the program this year, after three years of funding diversions. From 2003-2005, $400 million was taken from the program. This year the program generated a record $361 million.
Mercury Thermostats (SB 772/HB 1041)
This bill bans the sale and manufacture of thermostats that contain mercury. When disposed of improperly, mercury thermostats are often incinerated, releasing mercury into the environment.
In Maryland, there are approximately 2.7 million mercury thermostats in homes today, containing 18,000 pounds of mercury. Nationwide, the total amount of mercury contained in thermostats sold annually is estimated to be between 14 and 21 tons. Banning the sale of new mercury thermostats will begin to remove this pathway of toxic pollution.
Mercury is a toxic element that has been linked to damage to the central nervous system. Much like lead, it impairs the ability of children’s brains to develop properly, resulting in poor attention span, poor motor skills, lower IQ and erratic behavior.
Clean Energy
The Solar Energy Grant Program is the state’s leading mechanism to promote solar power, providing grants to install solar units in homes and businesses. Yet this program has been chronically underfunded. This year, the governor allocated $2.5 million for solar power. Unfortunately, the office of legislative analysis recommended cutting all but $500,000 of this, but the General Assembly still kept $1.5 million of the funding.
Another bill (SB 167/HB 1323) will create more generous terms for connecting a building with solar panels to the electricity grid. Surplus energy they generate over the course of a month will now be counted as a credit on the following month’s electricity bill. In addition, SB 267/HB 1463 commits the state to reducing energy consumption by 10 percent.
Reducing Private Fertilizer Use (HB 222)
This bill takes a first step at addressing the over-application of fertilizer on lawns and gardens. Grass turf is the number one crop grown in the Chesapeake Bay region, and the misuse of fertilizer on lawns is a significant contributor to the dead zone in the bay. HB 222 requires that retailers post signs near all bags of fertilizer of 50 pounds or larger warning purchasers that overuse of fertilizer damages the bay and advising them to get a chemical soil analysis before applying fertilizer to their lawn or garden.
Limiting Shoreline Development (SB 751)
This bill reinforces the authority of the Critical Areas Commission to control development within 1000 feet of the Chesapeake Bay. This oversight authority is important to ensure that the Critical Areas Law is applied in a regular and comprehensive fashion across the state. The bill was necessary in the wake of legal decisions that had undermined the Commission’s authority. SB 751 clarifies that any development in the critical areas comes under the purview of the Commission, that the Commission must approve of even minor changes to the local jurisdictions’ growth plans, and that new development in critical areas should occur within or adjacent to existing development.
Helping Farmers Help the Bay (SB 5/HB 2)
The Agricultural Stewardship Act has very important goals, but funding shortfalls may keep it from reaching them. Farmers need $100 million per year to significantly reduce their impact on the bay and its waters.
This bill requires that the governor fund the Soil Conservation Districts at $8.8 million next year, increasing to $10 million in 2011. It suggests funding for other important programs, but does not require it. These other areas include the cover crops program, which starts at a recommended $3 million and increases to a suggested $14 million, the Maryland Agricultural Cost-Share Program at $7 million in additional funding increasing to $35 million in 5 years, $2 million for the cooperative extension service at the University of Maryland, and $750,000 for the manure transport program.