BALTIMORE, MD (November 13, 2008) – Today the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) released its twelfth annual Enforcement and Compliance Report, which found that between July 2007 and June 2008 MDE had a total of 2,699 enforcement actions, the highest number since reporting began in 1998. Also in Fiscal Year 2008, MDE collected a total of $3,968,775 from environmental polluters, the most ever collected in a single year by the Agency.

Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Shari T. Wilson said: “Enforcing Maryland's environmental laws—and publicizing them widely—is a highly effective deterrent for would-be violators. Under the O'Malley-Brown Administration, a top priority for the Department of the Environment has been restoring our agency’s emphasis on enforcement, so I am pleased that today we can report MDE’s enforcement actions, inspections, and penalties are much stronger. This benefits everyone—citizens and regulated entities who comply with environmental regulations.” Governor O’Malley added funds to MDE’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget to hire additional regulatory personnel related to wetlands and air enforcement.

Highlights of the report include that, in Fiscal Year 2008,

• Enforcement actions increased 34 percent over FY 2007 and the number of compliance assistance actions increased by 12.6 percent;
• Significant violations decreased from 6,409 to 4,814;
• Penalties collected from environmental violators totaled $3,968,775, including a $1 million settlement with Constellation Energy for fly ash contamination.

Secretary Wilson said: “Maintaining a steady and consistent baseline of enforcement is critical to ensure compliance with state law, regulations, and permits that protect public health and the environment. We are proud of all of MDE’s inspectors and the incredibly important work they do. In these tough fiscal times, resources may be tight, but that only increases the incentive to be more efficient and strategic in enforcing the State's environmental laws.”

In February 2007, MDE began an initiative to prioritize resources to enhance enforcement. This included a review of ongoing enforcement actions to determine timeliness, development of a department-wide internal operating procedure, and the use of the “MDEStat” management process. To maximize the deterrence value of every enforcement action, each month the Agency releases a full list of environmental enforcement actions to the media and on MDE’s website.

MDE’s annual Enforcement and Compliance Report includes data from MDE’s enforcement and compliance programs in the Air and Radiation Management, Waste Management, and Water Management Administrations, and the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General. Environment Article §1-301(d) enacted in 1997 requires the MDE to report annual performance results for 15 regulatory programs and the penalty dollars collected and deposited into several funds. In addition to the required information, this report also includes information on MDE’s enforcement programs and additional data about the activities and facilities subject to regulation under the Environment Article. Visit http://mde.maryland.gov/Pages/enfcomp.aspx to view the full report and for the latest information on enforcement actions and other compliance activities.

In addition to increasing enforcement actions, under the O’Malley-Brown Administration the Department of the Environment has worked to protect Maryland citizens and our environment by enacting new regulations to reduce pollution from vehicle emissions, agriculture, stormwater runoff, as well as continuing to reduce pollution from wastewater treatment plants and septic systems. The agency has also worked to provide a road map to reduce greenhouse gases through the Maryland Climate Change Commission’s Climate Action Plan released in August 2008.

Click here to view Enforcement Actions Taken Graph
Click here to view Penalty Amounts Graph

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