Worcester Preserves an Additional 1,800 Acres
County News / Environment / Planning and Zoning
Worcester Preserves an Additional 1,800 Acres

This summer Worcester County has conserved an additional 1,801 acres of land through permanent easements. Worcester County Environmental Programs (WCEP) professionals, in partnership with the Board of Public Works have added three new easements, two of which are located in the Dividing Creek Rural Legacy Area (RLA) and one in the Coastal Bays RLA. The preservation projects represent a $1.8 million investment in permanent land preservation. “Preserving and protecting contiguous, productive, and valuable farm and…

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August 7, 2020
Private Partnership to Build Anaerobic Digestion Facility in Somerset
Agriculture / Energy / Environment
Private Partnership to Build Anaerobic Digestion Facility in Somerset

Site preparation is underway for a new anaerobic digestion plant in Somerset County thanks to a private partnership between enviro-tech company CleanBay Renewables Inc. and construction and engineering company Kiewit Corporation. Through the partnership, Kiewit will design and build CleanBay's bio-refinery in Westover, which will have the ability to recycle more than 150,000 tons of chicken litter annually for conversion to natural gas and fertilizer product. CleanBay will invest $200 million in capital for the…

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August 5, 2020
Report: Maryland Leads States in Emissions Reductions
Environment
Report: Maryland Leads States in Emissions Reductions

A new report from the World Resources Institute indicates that Maryland has the highest percentage reduction in carbon dioxide emissions among all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Maryland is leading the nation in cutting emissions with a 38 percent reduction from 2005-2017. The study cites many factors for Maryland's success, namely the rapid switch away from coal to natural gas, and participation in programs like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) that has…

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August 4, 2020
Trump Signs Landmark Conservation Bill
Agriculture / Economic Development / Environment / Parks and Recreation / Planning and Zoning
Trump Signs Landmark Conservation Bill

Today, President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law. The landmark conservation bill provides $900 million annually for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the roughly $20 billion deferred maintenance backlog for federal lands. Conservation advocates have seen many highs and lows since the bills introduction earlier this year. The President and congressional leadership initially signaled support for the move, but set it aside upon the arrival of the pandemic.…

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August 4, 2020
Baltimore County Reaches Agreement to Recycle Glass
County News / Environment
Baltimore County Reaches Agreement to Recycle Glass

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced today that the County has started a new glass recycling program after reaching a ten-year agreement with CAP Glass, one of the nations largest glass recycling companies. The County has agreed to deliver glass from the Cockeysville Materials Recovery Facility to the Cap Glass facility in Baltimore City for processing, after which the marketable glass will be sent to OI Glass, Inc. to make new glass containers. The effort…

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July 30, 2020
MDE Adds Electronically Accepted Permits Page
Environment
MDE Adds Electronically Accepted Permits Page

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has published a new page on their website that displays information on permit applications accepted electronically. MDE has added a new webpage that displays many of the permits for which they accept electronic submissions. Included on the page is a list of the different permits along with information on the permits and links to the actual application forms. Visit the page here: Electronically Accepted Permit Applications    

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July 29, 2020
Anne Arundel to Convert County Vehicle Fleet to All-Electric
County News / Environment / Transportation and Public Works
Anne Arundel to Convert County Vehicle Fleet to All-Electric

Today, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced that the County will begin transitioning its vehicle fleet to full-electric models. Pittman issued a memo directing the Office of Central Services to begin converting the county’s fleet of over 1,600 conventional vehicles to fully-electric models and also develop a long-range planning effort to achieve an all-electric fleet within 15 years, and produce an annual report. "This is another big step forward in our efforts to Build…

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July 28, 2020
County Climate Change Discussion
Environment
County Climate Change Discussion

MACo will be hosting an informal discussion with interested county parties regarding climate change efforts at the local level. This is an opportunity for interested county staff and county elected officials to engage with counterparts in other jurisdictions to discuss best practices, future efforts, and potential collaboration to combat climate change. Who: County elected officials and county staff members. What: This meeting is not a webinar, but rather a roundtable discussion on climate change efforts.…

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July 27, 2020
Congress Passes Landmark Conservation Bill
Environment / Parks and Recreation / Planning and Zoning
Congress Passes Landmark Conservation Bill

Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act that would require full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and address much of the backlog of deferred maintenance across several federal agencies. Deemed the “biggest federal lands bill in 50 years,” the Great American Outdoors Act would for the first time fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) with $900 million annually in fossil fuel revenue. Additionally, the…

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July 22, 2020
Frederick Takes Steps to Prevent Forest Loss
County News / Environment / Planning and Zoning
Frederick Takes Steps to Prevent Forest Loss

Yesterday the Frederick County Council unanimously passed legislation that outlines a path for no net forest loss in the county. County Executive Jan Gardner's initiative to strengthen the County's Forest Resources Ordinance was introduced as a bill by Council member Kai Hagen. After pandemic related delays the bill has been unanimously approved by the County Council. Included in the bill are two methods for preventing forest loss which, under certain circumstances, will require developers adhere…

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July 22, 2020
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