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Today is the last day of Maryland’s 2024 legislative session. As Delegates and Senators work until midnight to wrap up their business, our Clean Water priorities have all been resolved. Governor Moore and the leadership of the House and Senate failed to act on climate change and environmental justice this year. Across the environmental movement, advocates are frustrated by what hasn’t passed and appalled by what has. Stay tuned for more as we work with our partners over the coming weeks and months to hold the administration and leadership accountable and lay the groundwork for better outcomes

The urgency and positive energy created around the original Earth Day (April 22, 1970) helped launch a movement and built momentum that led to the creation of Clean Water Action and passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act and 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act.

In our efforts to reduce waste, we have often heard people say that the “real” problem is the people who throw their garbage on the sidewalk and out their car windows. Of course, we agree that we should change this behavior, but the truth is that littering is not the real problem. We need to change the entire system because the plastic trash that floats in the world's oceans actually decompose and release potentially toxic substances into the water. First, much of the litter items we see—aluminum cans, straws, plastic bags, etc.—are lightweight and easily blow off of garbage trucks, landfills