Environment Archives

Registration Open for Montgomery County’s 2026 Energy Summit

The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that registration is open for the 13th annual Montgomery County Energy Summit. The 2026 summit will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, April 28-29, at the Silver Spring Civic Building located at Veterans Plaza. Early-bird registration rates are available through Tuesday, Jan. 27. The summit’s theme, “Elevating Building Performance,” highlights tools, strategies, and real-world guidance to boost building efficiency and navigate building energy performance standards. “Every day, Montgomery County government and the private sector work together to meet building performance…

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January 15, 2026

Agriculture / Environment / Feature / News You Can Use

Maryland Agriculture Land Preservation Foundation Now Accepting Applications

The Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) Program is now accepting applications for the Fiscal Year 2027 Easement Cycle. Eligibility requirements include a minimum of 50 contiguous acres, land outside of the 10-year water and sewer plan for the county, and a minimum of 50% Class I, II or III soils. For more information on eligibility and the MALPF easement acquisition process, visit https://mda.maryland.gov/malpf/Pages/Fact-Sheets.aspx The mission of MALPF is: to preserve productive farmland and woodland for the…

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January 15, 2026

Environment / News You Can Use

Prince George’s Announces Major Milestone for Animal Welfare

The Prince George's County Department of the Environment (DoE) announced a major milestone for animal welfare in the County with the hiring of its first-ever full-time County veterinarian, strengthening medical care and services at the Prince George's County Animal Services Facility & Adoption Center (ASFAC). Starting January 13, Dr. Constantine Tinaza will join the Animal Services Division as a full-time veterinarian. Dr. Tinaza brings extensive experience in shelter medicine, livestock care, and disease mitigation expertise that will…

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January 15, 2026

County News / Emergency Management / Environment / Housing and Community Development

Kent County Secures $6.2M in Funding for New Wastewater Treatment Plant

Kent County is moving forward with a major infrastructure investment after securing $6.2 million in federal funding for fiscal year 2026 to construct a new wastewater treatment plant in Millington, replacing aging, flood-prone infrastructure with a modern, resilient facility designed to support public health, environmental protection, and future growth. “I’m proud to have worked with Kent County to secure $6.2 million in agriculture appropriations funding for 2026 to build a new wastewater treatment plant in…

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January 14, 2026

County News / Energy / Environment

Exelon Talks Energy Security and Rising Costs in Maryland

As Maryland heads toward another consequential legislative session, energy policy is once again front and center, and counties are feeling the pressure. In this episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, hosts Kevin Kinnally and Dominic Butchko are joined by Valencia McClure, Senior Vice President of Governmental, Regulatory, and External Affairs at Exelon, for a wide-ranging conversation on energy security, rising costs, and grid reliability. Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts!…

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January 8, 2026

Environment / Transportation and Public Works

EPA Launches Feed It Onward Campaign To Tackle Food Waste

EPA is launching the Feed It Onward campaign in order to tackle food waste and reduce methane emissions. Feed It Onward is a new EPA initiative that provides a national platform to spotlight farmers, businesses, nonprofits, military partners, and communities that ensure good food is distributed to communities in need, rather than sent to landfills. In the United States, more than one-third of all food goes uneaten and is discarded. This creates a huge impact…

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January 8, 2026

Board of Public Works / Environment / Parks and Recreation

Board of Public Works Approves More Than $125M for County Projects This Week

Three counties and Baltimore City received funding approvals from the Board of Public Works today, with money coming from agency grants, prior year capital budget allocations, and - the bulk of the distributions - from Program Open Space. In a regularly scheduled meeting of the Maryland Board of Public Works, $126M was approved for 10 projects across four jurisdictions. Baltimore City received almost all of that total for seven projects. Howard, Washington, and Wicomico all…

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January 7, 2026

Environment / Parks and Recreation

State Marks Major Milestone in 5M Trees Campaign

The state marked a major milestone by planting 1.5 million of its 5 million tree-planting goal. Maryland’s 5 Million Trees program has reached more than 1.5 million native trees planted, marking a major milestone and reflecting strong momentum toward reaching the state’s ambitious goal of planting 5 million trees by 2031. More than 555,330 trees were planted in Fiscal Year 2025, according to a new annual report prepared for the Maryland General Assembly. Plantings done…

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January 7, 2026

2026 MACo Issue Previews / Environment

2026 Issue Preview: Chesapeake Bay Restoration

With the 2026 Legislative Session rapidly approaching, MACo is profiling some major issues that stand to gather attention in the General Assembly. The single most defining feature of Maryland is the Chesapeake Bay. Its waters shape our geography, flow into our culture, and provide a source of sustenance and cuisine. Unfortunately, Maryland cannot act alone in cleaning and preserving the bay – Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, & West Virginia all lay within the greater…

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December 29, 2025

County Budgets / County News / Environment / Health and Human Services

Water, PFAS, and Climate Resilience: What Counties Need to Know

In this episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, our host Dominic Butchko is joined by Zach Schafer, Assistant Secretary at the Maryland Department of the Environment, for a wide-ranging conversation on the environmental issues shaping county decision-making ahead of the 2026 General Assembly session. Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!

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December 24, 2025