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On September 21, the Maryland Department of the Environment held a public hearing to conclude a nearly two-year process to update air pollution regulations for municipal waste incinerators in Maryland: the BRESCO facility in Baltimore, and the Dickerson facility in Curtis Bay. While Dickerson's nitrogen oxides emissions are relatively low, BRESCO emits more nitrogen oxides per unit of energy generated than any of the state's coal plants - and has not reduced its emissions in the past decade, when the coal plants have either closed or significantly cut their emissions. The regulations the state

Pollution from septic systems is an ongoing issue in local Maryland streams and rivers, the Chesapeake Bay, and in wells. Last summer, we participated in a summer working group to identify the problems and possible solutions for moving forward. HB1765 is a result of collaboration among stakeholders and has passed the House of Delegates. This bill has passed both the House and Senate!

The Problem:

There are two types of pollution associated with septic systems: nitrogen and bacteria.

Nitrogen is a nutrient pollutant - a fertilizer for plants that can cause algae blooms and deadzones in our

Two years ago, as Baltimore City renegotiated its agreement with the EPA to repair faults and design flaws in its sewage system, residents spoke out and organized because their neighborhoods had a chronic sewage problem: at times the system designed to collect and pipe sewage to treatment plants would fail, causing raw sewage to overflow into their homes. As a result of these protests and comments submitted by advocacy groups, the final consent decree was revised to include requirements that Baltimore develop programs for basement backups caused by problems in city-owned infrastructure. Under