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ANNAPOLIS – The 2007 legislative session comes to a close tonight with some big steps forward on environmental issues. Eight of Environment Maryland’s priority bills passed, including both of the bills identified going into the session as the organization’s lead initiatives, the Clean Cars Act and the Stormwater Management Act. A bill to create solar power requirements in the state’s existing renewable energy standard became a priority as the session unfolded and ultimately passed.

“Years of effort have paid off,” said Environment Maryland State Director Brad Heavner. “Clean cars took four years to get through. The stormwater bill took three years. On solar, we lost the debate in 2004 and have now come back and corrected it.”

“Legislative leaders made the environment a priority this year and followed through to pass some very important bills,” said Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, Environment Maryland staff attorney. “This much good legislation would not have passed without the support of Pres. Miller, Speaker Busch, Gov. O’Malley, and the environment committee chairs, Sen. Joan Carter Conway and Del. Maggie McIntosh.”

2007 Legislative Roundup

Clean Cars Act (SB 103/HB 131 – O’Malley/Frosh/Bobo)

The Clean Cars Act will reduce global warming pollution by 4.4 million tons per year by 2016 when it is fully phased in. It will also reduce smog-forming pollution by 3600 tons per year and cancer-causing pollution by 100 tons per year by 2025 compared to federal standards.

Maryland now joins eleven other states that have adopted the Clean Cars Program. The program adds carbon dioxide, the primary cause of global warming, to the list of pollutants that are covered by vehicle emission standards. It also strengthens the standards for other pollutants and requires that a percentage of new cars sold each year be advanced technology vehicles such as hybrids.

The Global Warming Solutions Act (SB 409/HB 890) would commit Maryland to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the 1990 level by 2020, a 16 percent reduction from today’s emissions. The bill did not come to a vote.

Cleaner Development for a Cleaner Bay (SB 784/HB 786 – Rosapepe/Lawton)

The Stormwater Management Act requires:

·        Environmental site design as the first approach to managing runoff from a site.

·        Groundwater recharge after development must be the same as before the land was disturbed.

·        Local governments must update their planning and zoning codes to allow for environmental site design practices.

·        The Department of the Environment must recommend a fee schedule necessary to adequately enforce stormwater laws.

With this bill, Maryland joins New Jersey as the two states with the strictest standards to control runoff pollution from new development.

The Chesapeake Bay Green Fund (SB 901/HB 1220) did not pass. It would have

created a fee on impervious surface from new development to fund a variety of programs to improve water quality in the Bay. Runoff from existing developments was lessened by a bill to ban the sale of dishwashing detergents containing phosphorous (SB 766/HB 1131).

Increasing Solar Power (SB 595/HB 1016 – Garagiola/Hecht)

This bill will add a provision specific to solar power within the state’s existing renewable energy standard. It will require that 0.005 percent of the state’s electricity come from solar power in 2008, gradually increasing to two percent by 2022. In all, this will create 1,500 MW of solar power in Maryland, the amount of electricity that would come from two large power plants. This now stands as the third strongest solar energy legislation in the country.

A bill to create a property tax credit for people who install solar units in their homes (HB 590 - Bartlett) also passed. Bills to expand the Solar Energy Grant Program did not pass.

Program Open Space Funding (Budget)

Program Open Space received all of the money collected for the program this year. The program brought in $268 million this year. This decrease from recent years – the effect of the housing market slump on the real estate transfer tax that funds the program – shows the continued need to protect this funding from any diversions.

A bad bill to divert funding away from parks and into existing museums (HB 967) was defeated. A bill to close the loophole that allows large corporations to dodge the tax that funds Program Open Space (SB 616/HB 475) did not pass.

Green Buildings (SB 332/HB 942 – Frosh/Bronrott)

This bill re-establishes the state Green Buildings Council. By September 2007, the council will finalize a plan for advancing the development of green buildings in Maryland and will update the plan each year.

Bills to establish green building standards for new construction did not pass.

Smart Growth

Two bad bills that would have allowed sprawl and poor land use planning (SB 499 and SB 498) were defeated this year.

A bill (HB 773) passed that expands the membership and mission of the task force on growth that was created last year and will meet this summer. This bill will help ensure that the task force produces sound, well-considered action to help Maryland manage the 1.5 million new residents coming in the next 25 years. Also, the Governor created a new subcommittee on BRAC, which will help coordinate planning and smart growth decisions as our military bases expand. The Office of Smart Growth was rejuvenated without legislation.

Agency Staff