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Clean Water Accomplishments in Maryland
Maryland’s legislative session ended early for the first time since the Civil War this year, because of COVID-19. This meant that the only piece of legislation we were working on that passed was the ban on chlorpyrifos. Governor Hogan vetoed the chlorpyrifos ban, opting for regulations instead. Regulations can be undone with the stroke of a single pen, which is why Clean Water likes strong legislative language!
Chlorpyrifos is a super toxic pesticide that is dangerous not only to pollinators, but also to people and aquatic life. The US EPA under the Obama administration could not find a safe
Composting on Farms in Montgomery County: Testimony on ZTA 20-04
On December 1, the Montgomery County Council held a hearing on Zoning Text Amendment 20-04, a bill to increase the amount of organic waste that farms can bring in from off-site for composting or mulching. While this is a small piece of the zero waste puzzle, measures like this across Maryland will help keep organic waste out of landfills and incinerators, sequester carbon and build healthy soils, and even help support Maryland's agricultural economy. Here is our testimony in support of ZTA 20-04:
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December 1, 2020
Dear Montgomery County Council,
On behalf of Clean Water Action’s
Food and Farmworker Protective Standards for COVID-19
Although farmworkers are considered “essential workers,” they have been granted few protections prior to and during the pandemic. As Maryland’s most marginalized workers, farmworkers are particularly vulnerable to exposure to coronavirus because of high rates of respiratory disease due occupational hazards such as the application of pesticides, low rates of health insurance coverage, and substandard living and working conditions. They play a vital role in maintaining our food system, yet lack many of the legal protections that protect most workers, such as sick leave, health insurance, and
Banning Unrecyclable Plastics in Montgomery County
Update: both Bill 32-20 and 33-20 have passed and been signed into law! For more about our work to move Maryland beyond incineration and toward zero waste, click here.
Here is our testimony in support of Montgomery County Council Bills 32-20 and 33-20, to ban unrecyclable plastics in Montgomery County:
October 5, 2020
Dear Montgomery County Council,
On behalf of Clean Water Action’s over 10,000 members within Montgomery County, we urge you to support and pass Council Bills 32-20 and 33-20. Together, these pieces of legislation will help Montgomery County fulfill its existing mandate to
Big progress on sewage backups in Baltimore
Great news! When we rallied at City Hall last November and joined the City Council at a hearing to investigate DPW's policies around sewage backups, everyone heard loud and clear that DPW's policies around sewer backups and its Expedited Reimbursement program weren't working. At the follow-up hearing this Tuesday, DPW acknowledged that they heard that too - and announced a number of changes that, once implemented, will make a big difference for people faced with sewage backing up into their home.
They said they have already made these changes:
raising the maximum reimbursement through the