After a whirlwind 90 days, Maryland’s 2023 Legislative Session ended on April 10th. Legislators considered over 2,000 bills this session and passed several priorities from the environmental community. Blue Water Baltimore weighed in on over 30 bills that impact environmental and community health in the watersheds where we work. Read on to learn more about…
Maryland’s 2023 Legislative Session started on January 11th and will continue until April 10th. During these 90 days, legislators are considering thousands of bills. Blue Water Baltimore is providing input on dozens of bills this session that will impact environmental and community health in the watersheds where we work. Below is some information about a…
We’re just a few weeks into 2023, and there are already so many exciting advocacy initiatives to support! As Maryland’s state legislative session gets underway this week, the Baltimore County Council is also starting the year off strong by introducing a bill to ban plastic bags. Read more about this bill below and take action…
Katie Lautar (Baltimore Green Space), Taylor Smith-Hams (Blue Water Baltimore) 2022-10-17 I. Introduction The Forest Conservation Act (FCA) only applies to disturbances of at least 5,000 square feet. This means that parcels of land less than 5,000 square feet are not covered, except in cases where multiple small adjacent vacant parcels are purchased, combined, and…
Sewage backups into peoples’ homes are a big problem in Baltimore City. When raw sewage spurts out from a basement-level toilet, bubbles up from a floor drain, or floods a washing machine, it presents a danger to residents’ health, causes damage to homes, and requires immediate attention and resources to fix. Backups can be caused…
On Earth Day, Mayor Scott signed Councilman Mark Conway’s bill to make City government operations net zero by 2045! YOU made this win happen by writing to your City Councilmembers and the Mayor, posting on social media, and sharing our action alert with your friends and family. Read on for more details on this bill…
*Updated 5/31/22 to include information about vetoes Monday was “Sine Die” in Maryland, meaning that the General Assembly adjourned its legislative session for 2022. Several of our priority bills passed, along with many other environmental bills that we supported led by coalition partners and advocates across the state. YOU made these victories happen by writing…
We’ve been busy tracking local and state legislation since our last Advocacy Update! On March 16th, Baltimore’s City Council held a hearing on a bill to require City government operations become net zero. This was the final hearing on Councilman Mark Conway’s climate package. Now we need to tell the City Council to pass the…
January was a big month for local climate advocacy. Mayor Scott announced a goal for Baltimore City to become carbon neutral by 2045, and there were City Council hearings on three bills in Councilman Mark Conway’s climate package. Maryland’s legislative session also kicked off on January 12th, during which state legislators will consider dozens of…