NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, creed, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, mental or physical disability, national origin (including limited English proficiency), race, religious affiliation (belief or opinion), sex, sexual orientation or any other protected status in matters affecting employment or in providing access to any of its programs, services, or activities, nor does it intimidate or retaliate against any individual or group because they have exercised their rights to participate protected activities. As a recipient of federal funding, MDE is required to comply with State of Maryland and federal nondiscrimination laws. MDE’s compliance extends to federal regulations, including:

• Department of Homeland Security: Title 6 Code of Federal Regulations Part 17 and Part 21

• Department of Agriculture: Title 7 Code of Federal Regulations Part 15, Part 15a, Part 15b, Part 15c

• Department of Defense: Title 32 Code of Federal Regulations Part 56, Part 195, and Part 196

• Environmental Protection Agency: Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 5 and Part 7

• Department of Interior: Title 43 Code of Federal Regulations Part 17, and Part 41

• Department of Homeland Security (Federal Emergency Management Agency): Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations Part 7 and Part 19

• Department of Transportation: Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 21, Part 25, and Part 27

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

The Maryland Department of the Environment gives public notice of its policy to uphold and assure full compliance with the non-discrimination requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related Nondiscrimination authorities.  Title VI and related Nondiscrimination authorities stipulate that no person in the United States of America shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, income level or Limited English Proficiency be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Any person who desires more information regarding the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Title VI Program can contact its Title VI Program Coordinator – Assata N. Peterson, Director- at the address noted below.

Any person who believes they have, individually or as a member of any specific class of persons, been subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, income level or Limited English Proficiency has the right to file a formal complaint.  Any such complaint must be in writing and submitted within 180 days following the date of the alleged occurrence.

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DISABILITY ACCESS

MDE is committed to providing individuals with disabilities the opportunity for full participation in its programs, services, and activities. MDE provides reasonable accommodations on a case-by-case basis, such as qualified sign language interpreters and written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, etc.), when needed to communicate effectively with persons with disabilities. If you need these services or an accommodation, contact Linda Mason, MDE’s ADA Coordinator, at 410-537-3152. If you use TTY, contact MDE through the Maryland Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-(800) 735-2258. For website-related matters, email mde.webmaster@maryland.gov​ to discuss website-related matters.

Accommodations at MDE for Non-Employees

MDE provides individuals with disabilities the opportunity for meaningful access and participation in MDE programs, services, and activities. No participant with a disability in a MDE program, service, or activity will be discriminated against in the provision of services available to all individuals in general.  Auxiliary aids, services, or other accommodations used by individuals with disabilities to provide access to programs, services, and activities may not always be present; thus, individuals are responsible for letting MDE know what reasonable accommodations they need in advance, so that MDE may provide an appropriate response to the accommodation request. 

Accommodation Requests: Accommodations are not required that fundamentally alter the nature of the program, service, or activity; require waiver of essential program or licensure requirements; violate accreditation requirements; or pose an undue fiscal or administrative burden on MDE. In determining appropriate reasonable accommodations, MDE considers the wishes of the individual, and in certain appropriate circumstances, MDE also considers the documentation provided by the individual as well as institutional expertise in working with individuals with disabilities. MDE will not require an individual with a disability to accept an accommodation, aid, service, opportunity, or benefit under any circumstance. To request an accommodation, contact Linda Mason, MDE’s ADA Coordinator, at 410-537-3152. If you use TTY, contact MDE through the Maryland Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-(800) 735-2258. 

Website Accessibility: MDE is actively making our website accessible to all users.  To ensure that MDE complies with state and federal law, MDE reviews each new webpage or application for compliance with the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.  MDE also reviews previously existing webpages and applications for accessibility when making significant modifications to them.  Additionally, MDE continues to make older webpages and applications accessible. For inquiries about website-related matters, email mde.webmaster@maryland.gov​​.​

Public Meetings: MDE asks individuals to make requests in a timely manner as noted below and cannot guarantee that requests for specific accommodations made with less time will be granted. If you need these services or an accommodation to participate in a public meeting, contact Linda Mason, MDE’s ADA Coordinator, at 410-537-3152. If you use TTY, contact MDE through the Maryland Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-(800) 735-2258. 

Accommodations at MDE for Employees

Consistent with MDE’s Notice of Nondiscrimination, the State of Maryland Reasonable Accommodations Policy establishes the procedures for State of Maryland employees. Additionally, MDE employees who need accommodations may apply for accommodations by completing a Google Form. You may review the Maryland Reasonable Accommodation Policy and procedures and apply for accommodations. 

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LANGUAGE ACCESS

Free Language Assistance
If you speak a language other than English, language assistance services are available by request free of charge. Call (xxx) xxx-xxxx.

MDE’s website has the Google Translate feature available for all web pages.

Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Policy

The MDE LEP Policy reflects MDE’s commitment to serving Marylanders of all backgrounds and cultures, including individuals with limited English proficiency. MDE recognizes its obligation to provide meaningful access to programs, services, and activities by removing language-based barriers to public interaction. Additionally, the policy provides the procedures DNR follows in responding to requests for interpretation, translation, and other language services and in assessing the need for language services.

COMPLAINT PROCEDURES

Informal Complaints (non-employee)

MDE encourages anyone with concerns about potential failure to provide services or discrimination in providing services to first discuss the matter with either of MDE’s Nondiscrimination Coordinators (the Environmental Justice Coordinator and/or ADA Coordinator). Individuals are not required to pursue the informal process first and may engage in the formal complaint (grievance) process as their first step if preferred. The informal complaint process aims to make a good-faith effort to resolve the issue quickly and efficiently. However, the individual may ask to implement the formal process at any time during the informal resolution. If you have concerns about services provided by MDE or MDE practices, or if you would like to relay your experiences to MDE without making a formal complaint, please contact the MDE Office of Equal Employment Opportunity as follows:

Formal Complaints with MDE (non-employee)

If you believe that MDE has failed to provide services or discriminated in another way based on race, color, national origin (including language), disability, sex, or age, you can file a grievance, in person or by mail or email with Assata Peterson, (410) 537-3152; e-mail: assata.peterson@maryland.gov. For information about MDE grievance or complaint procedures for non-employees and to make a formal complaint, you may complete the Google complaint form https://forms.gle/DyJpNWKHnkf99ovdA. 

Formal Complaints with MDE (employees)

MDE employees seeking to file an internal complaint with MDE, may review complaint procedures and complete the Google complaint form. 

Formal Complaints with External Agencies

Alternatively, complaints may be submitted to the following agencies. Complainants should refer to each agency’s requirements for complaint submissions. 

U.S. EPA, External Civil Rights Compliance Office 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Mail code 2310A 1200 

Pennsylvania Ave NW 

Washington, DC 20460 

Email: Title_VI_Complaints@epa.gov 

https://www.epa.gov/external-civil-rights 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights 

Director, Office of Civil Rights

Department of the Interior 

1849 C St NW 

Washington, DC 20240 

https://www.doi.gov/pmb/eeo/Public-Civil-Rights 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (including U.S. Coast Guard) 

Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Compliance Branch

Mail Stop # 0190 

2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE 

Washington, DC 20528-0190 

Email: CRCLCompliance@hq.dhs.gov

https://www.dhs.gov/file-civil-rights-complaint 

Federal Emergency Management Agency External Civil Rights Division 

FEMA Office of Equal Rights 

C St SW Rm 4SW-0915 

Washington, DC 20472-3505 

Email: FEMA-CivilRightsOffice@fema.dhs.gov  

https://www.fema.gov/about/offices/equal-rights/civil-rights 

U.S. Department of Defense (including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) 

Defense Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Transparency Division 

Email: osd.ncr.ocmo.mbx.cl-correspondence@mail.mil 

https://dpcld.defense.gov/Portals/49/Documents/Civil/Civil_Liberties_Complaint_COVID-19.pdf   

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

U.S. Department of Agriculture Director

Center for Civil Rights Enforcement 

1400 Independence Ave SW 

Washington, DC 20250-9410 

Email: program.intake@usda.gov 

https://www.usda.gov/oascr/filing-program-discrimination-complaint-usdcustomer 

U.S. Department of Transportation

Departmental Office of Civil Rights

1200 New Jersey Ave SE

Washington, DC 20590

https://www.transportation.gov/civil-rights/complaint-resolution/publiccomplaint-process 

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) 

10 South Howard Street, 3rd Floor

Baltimore, Maryland 21201

410-962-3932

www.eeoc.gov 

Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) 

6 St. Paul Street, 9th Floor

Baltimore, Maryland 21201

www.mccr.maryland.gov

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MARYLAND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA 

Census data reveals the following demographics within the State of Maryland:

Population

• In 2023 Maryland was home to 6,177,224 residents

• https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/maryland-population-change-between-census-decade.html 

Race and Ethnicity Data

• White alone 61.6%

• Black alone 12.4%

• Hispanic 18.7%; Asian alone 6%

• American Indian and Alaska Native alone 1.1%

• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 0.2%

• Some Other Race alone 8.4%

• Two or More Races 10.2% https://data.census.gov/profile/Maryland?g=040XX00US24 

Disability Data

• People with disabilities comprise 11.6% of Maryland's population. https://data.census.gov/vizwidget?g=040XX00US24&infoSection=Disability 

Age and Sex Data (Source)

• Source

Limited English Proficiency (LEP) (national origin): LEP in Maryland as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau data and U.S. Department of Justice data regarding the types of languages spoken in Maryland homes, is as follows: 

• Spanish 50%

• Chinese 8%

• Korean 6%

• Vietnamese 4%

• https://data.census.gov/vizwidget?g=040XX00US24&infoSection=Language%20Spoken%20at%20Home

• https://www.lep.gov/maps/lma2015/Final  

MDE monitors State of Maryland data to understand and anticipate the needs of Maryland’s diverse population.

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