Seismic air gun testing will not occur off the mid-Atlantic coast anytime soon after legal obstacles forced five companies to concede their permits which are set to expire next month. Oil and gas drilling companies use seismic air gun testing to find deposits of oil and natural gas below the ocean floor. High-powered air guns blast the ocean floor, and receivers trailing the watercraft measure the echoes. Many environmental groups have fought for years to…

The Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works has received the received the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Peak Performance Awards for wastewater treatment excellence at all seven of the County's Water Reclamation Facilities. Several facilities received NACWA's highest award, peak performance platinum, which recognizes facilities demonstrating five consecutive years of 100 percent compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. The County's Broadwater facility has 28 consecutive years of perfect performance, and…

A Takoma Park restaurant is experimenting with a project to manage waste from food service containers. Takoma Beverage Company is piloting a program that will reduce waste from food service containers by extending producer responsibility and managing the products. Through mid-October, specific containers will be given to customers and reclaimed for sanitation and reuse. From coverage in Source of the Spring: “When participants order from the restaurant, they receive their food in specially designed containers,”…

Last week, Congress approved a broad package of conservation initiatives including the extension of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program. The America's Conservation Enhancement Act includes several important provisions that reauthorizes the Bay Program for five additional years with a maximum allocation capped at $92 million per year. This year, Congress set aside $85 million for the program. Also reauthorized is the Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails Network that works to connect people…

Maryland becomes the first state to implement a ban on food service establishments providing polystyrene containers. Starting today, food service establishments can no longer provide styrofoam containers to customers. During the 2019 General Assembly Session the legislature passed a bill that would prohibit food service establishments from giving out singe-use styrofoam containers to customers. The bill took effect July 1 of this year, but decreased traffic at restaurants throughout the state did not allow businesses and…