Real Results For Maryland's Environment
1. Clean Up Dirty Power
We helped 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 with the passage of the Healthy Air Act.
2. Cleaner Cars For Maryland
We helped pass the Maryland Clean Cars Act, which will result in a reduction of 4.4 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution by 2020, also reducing emissions of smog-forming and cancer-causing pollutants.
3. Chesapeake Bay Buffer Zones
When a pro-developer court case gutted a law protecting buffer zones around the Chesapeake Bay, we worked quickly to get the law back in place.
4. Clean Energy Laws
We know that switching to renewable, clean sources of energy will improve the quality of our air, and coal-burning power plants in Maryland contribute to global warming, and cause asthma attacks. So, in 2005, we helped pass bills to increase the use of renewable energy and establish new standards for energy efficiency.
5. Toxic Chemical Phase-outs
We protected the overall health of our communities by winning a new law to phase out the use of chemicals in foam that can damage the nervous systems of young children.
6. Program Open Space
We protected Maryland’s treasured open spaces by helping to restore $73 million to Program Open Space, the state land conservation program, and securing a commitment to pay back other funds unrightfully raided from the program in the past.
7. The Bay Restoration Fund
We addressed the dead zone in our Bay by advocating the creation of a monthly $2.50 per household fee to pay for upgrades to the state’s largest sewage treatment plants and upgrades to septic systems.
8. Mercury Disposal And Warnings
We passed legislation requiring businesses that use large quantities of products containing mercury to take extra precautions in their disposal and improve the warnings on eating contaminated fish.
9. The Recycling Program
We helped develop and pass legislation directing the Maryland Department of the Environment to establish an “electronics take-back” program to reduce the amount of computers and other electronic waste entering landfills and the environment.
10. The Solar Energy Grant Program
We helped establish Maryland’s solar panel grant program and pushed to have more funds allocated to the program each year. We know that increasing the funding provided can help Maryland tap into its solar energy potential.
