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…
Photo: Kristian Bjornard/Wikimedia Commons Baltimore City’s WWTP Progress is Under Judicial Scrutiny as Parties Near Consent Decree Negotiations Over a year ago, Blue Water Baltimore, represented by Chesapeake Legal Alliance and Barley Snyder, filed a notice of intent to sue Baltimore City for violations of the Clean Water Act at the two biggest wastewater treatment…
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…
Baltimore, MD – Blue Water Baltimore (BWB), home of the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, and Chesapeake Legal Alliance applaud the Maryland Department of the Environment and Department of Public Health for issuing an advisory today warning the public to avoid water contact in the Back River. BWB has analyzed bacteria samples taken in coordination with the…
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…
Reprinted with the permission of the American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL) In 1959 Bethlehem Steel’s Sparrows Point facility, located on the Patapsco River near the mouth of Baltimore Harbor, was the biggest steelmaking facility in the world. With close to 40,000 employees, Sparrows Point over many decades produced the steel that built bridges, buildings…
This winter, I had the honor of serving on Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s Transition Committee on Environment and Sustainability. This committee was comprised of leaders from across Baltimore working on issues related to solid waste reduction, climate change mitigation, renewable energy, healthy food access and water – drinking water, waste water, stormwater, and the health of our waterways. It was an intense, and…
Happy Black History Month! There is a lot to celebrate this month, and as an environmental organization, we would like to highlight Black Americans’ long and continued history in the push for environmental equity. The Roots of Environmental Justice The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of…