The Maryland Department of the Environment enforces State and federal environmental laws to protect public health and our land, air, water and wetlands resources.
The majority of the Department’s enforcement and compliance activities involve working with permit holders to correct any minor deficiencies with no formal enforcement action taken or financial penalties assessed. This assistance may be the most efficient method to achieve compliance. If an inspection reveals a significant violation, or if minor violations continue to recur and become a significant problem, then enhanced actions are warranted. Such action may take the form of penalties, corrective orders, the filing of injunctions and, in some cases, criminal sanctions.
Below are recent enforcement actions brought to a resolution with financial penalties of $10,000 or more.
Air Pollution and Radiation Enforcement Actions
The Department of the Environment’s Air and Radiation Administration ensures that all citizens and businesses are meeting the requirements of the federal Clean Air Act as well as Maryland’s air pollution control laws. The administration oversees air pollution monitoring, planning and control programs to improve and maintain air quality and a radiation control program to protect the public and occupational workers from unnecessary exposure to radiation from medical equipment and other devices, in conformance with federal and state law.
Perdue Agribusiness LLC - Wicomico County
On July 31, 2024, Perdue AgriBusiness, LLC entered a consent decree with MDE to settle alleged air pollution violations at its Salisbury soybean facility. Perdue withdrew an initial permit application to upgrade and expand its soybean oil extraction operations in 2017. Perdue then proceeded with the expansion without obtaining the required permits. As a result of the settlement, Perdue agreed to obtain all required permits, build cleaner processing equipment with the best pollution control technology and pay a civil penalty of $8 million. Perdue also agreed to invest more than $3.5 million in pollution reduction activities at the Salisbury facility and provide $400,000 to the City of Salisbury to fund a project that includes planting trees.
Horseshoe Baltimore Casino- Baltimore City
On July 29, 2024, CBAC Borrower LLC (Trading as Horseshoe Baltimore Casino) entered into a settlement agreement and consent order with MDE to settle alleged violations of the facility’s operating permit. Horseshoe Casino failed to perform several years worth of stack testing on its non-emergency generator and, in 2022, aborted a stack test in mid-test to avoid failing the test. Through the consent order, Horseshoe Casino has agreed to re-permit the engine as an emergency only engine and to perform a compliance stack test after the permit has been issued Horseshoe Casino paid a $165,000 penalty.
W.R. Grace & Company- Baltimore City
On July 30, 2024, MDE sent an administrative settlement letter to W.R. Grace & Company for alleged violations of operating permit conditions. The company missed the time frame to perform calibrations, inspections,and combustion analyses. The issues have been corrected. W.R. Grace paid a $47,000 penalty. .
Land Pollution Enforcement Actions
Oil Control
The Oil Control Program has highly trained staff to help companies and individuals ensure that their Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) are in compliance with State and federal regulations. All regulated USTs within Maryland are required to be registered through the Underground Storage Tank Notification Program. All USTs storing motor fuels (e.g., gasoline, diesel) must meet specific technical standards (corrosion protection, spill/overfill prevention, leak detection and financial responsibility) or be removed from the ground.
T & A Distributors, LLC (Perry Hall BP) – Baltimore, Baltimore County
On August 27, 2024, MDE issued a Notice of Violation to resolve violations of Maryland’s underground storage tank law and seeking a $15,000. The Notice of Violation and penalty have been resolved.
Water Pollution Enforcement Actions
State law prohibits the discharge of any pollutant into waters of the State, unless such discharge is in compliance with the terms, conditions, and requirements of a discharge permit. A person must hold a discharge permit issued by MDE before the person may construct, install, modify, extend, alter or operate any facility or disposal system or any other outlet or establishment if its operation could cause or increase the discharge of pollutants into waters of the State.
State law requires that a person hold a discharge permit issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment before the person may construct, install, modify, extend, alter or operate any facility or disposal system or any other outlet or establishment if its operation could cause or increase the discharge of pollutants into waters of the State.
Fleischmann’s Vinegar Company – Baltimore City
On September 25, 2024, MDE entered into a consent decree with Fleischmann's Vinegar Company, Inc., Kerry Holding Co. and Kerry Inc. for unauthorized discharges of pollution from the companies’ Baltimore facility. The consent decree includes a $1.1 million penalty and lists steps the company must take to ensure that discharges into the Jones Falls are halted.
St. Mary’s Metropolitan Commission – St. Mary’s County
On August 28, 2024, MDE, the St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission (MetCom), Shore Thing Shellfish, LLC, and Potomac Riverkeeper, Inc. entered into a consent decree to resolve alleged water pollution violations resulting from sanitary sewer overflows and effluent violations at the Marlay-Taylor Water Reclamation Facility. The consent decree includes a civil penalty of $250,500, with half paid to MDE and half to be paid toward an supplemental environmental project. The initial penalty of $125,250 has been paid in full.
Isgood, LLC – Harford County
On September 27, 2024, MDE and and Isgood, LLC, entered into a settlement agreement and consent order to resolve alleged water pollution violations at the Wawa Market Campus Hills Wastewater Treatment Plant. The consent order includes a $75,000 penalty and requires work to bring the facility into compliance. The penalty is to be paid in full by December 2024.
On August 8, 2024, MDE and Isgood, LLC, entered into a settlement agreement and consent order to resolve alleged water pollution violations at the Naughty Dogs Restaurant Wastewater Treatment Plant. The consent order includes a $53,000 penalty and requires work to bring the facility into compliance. The penalty was paid in full.
City of Taneytown – Carroll County
On August 15, 2024, MDE issued a $40,000 penalty settlement to resolve alleged discharge permit violations at the Taneytown Wastewater Treatment Plant from September 2017 through December 2022. The penalty was paid in full.
City of Baltimore
On July 9, 2024, MDE issued $27,350 in stipulated penalties to the City of Baltimore in accordance with a consent decree for alleged permit violations and unauthorized discharges at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant and Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant from November 15, 2023, through February 15, 2024. The stipulated penalties were paid in full.
Flying Point Marina – Harford County
On August 1, 2024, MDE issued a $24,000 penalty settlement to resolve the operation without coverage under the general permit for discharges from marinas at the Flying Point Marina from November 2017 through May 2023. The penalty is to be paid in full by June 2025.
Vidhi Alexandria, LLC – Charles County
On August 26, 2024, MDE issued a $20,000 stipulated penalty in accordance with a settlement agreement and consent order to the Thunderbird Motel Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Rukerts Terminal Corporation – Baltimore City
On August 8, 2024, MDE issued a $20,000 penalty settlement to resolve alleged violations involving unauthorized discharges on May 15, 2023. The penalty was paid in full.
Town of Delmar – Wicomico County
On September 10, 2024, MDE issued an $18,750 penalty settlement to resolve alleged discharge permit violations at the Delmar Wastewater Treatment PLant from January 2018 through December 2020. The penalty was paid in full.
Garrett Container Systems, Inc. – Garrett County
On September 5, 2024, MDE issued an $18,331 penalty settlement to resolve alleged discharge permit violations at Garrett Container Systems, Inc., from January 2021 through March 2023. The penalty is to be paid in full by July 2025.
Auto Recycling of Baltimore LLC – Baltimore City
On August 1, 2024, MDE issued a $15,000 penalty settlement to resolve the operation without appropriate permit coverage from April 2019 through November 2020 and the alleged discharge permit violations from October 2021 through October 2023 at Auto Recycling of Baltimore. The penalty is to be paid in full by August 2026.
Days Cove Rubble Landfill – Baltimore County
On August 8, 2024, MDE issued a $15,000 penalty settlement to Days Cove Reclamation Company to resolve alleged violations of its groundwater discharge permit from April 2023 through December 2023 at Days Cove Rubble Landfill in White Marsh. The penalty will be paid in installments of $5,000 over three months, with the final payment due in December 2024.
Corporation of Woodsboro – Frederick County
On July 9, 2024, MDE issued a $15,000 penalty settlement to resolve alleged discharge permit violations at the Woodsboro Wastewater Treatment Plant from September 2020 through February 2024. The penalty was paid in full
Town of Vienna – Dorchester County
On July 16, 2024, MDE issued a $13,872 penalty settlement to resolve alleged discharge violations at the Town of Vienna Water Treatment Plant from February 2019 through October 2023. The penalty is to be paid in full by July 2025.
City of Frederick – Frederick County
On July 9, 2024, MDE issued a $13,179 penalty settlement to resolve sanitary sewer overflows from the City of Frederick’s collection system from January 2021 through December 2023. The penalty was paid in full.
American Sugar Refining, Inc. – Baltimore City
On July 11, 2024, MDE issued a $12,000 penalty settlement to American Sugar Refining, Inc., to resolve unauthorized discharges at its facility between August 2023 and April 2024. The penalty was paid in full.
Frederick County Division of Water and Sewer Utilities – Frederick County
On July 24, 2024, MDE issued an $11,733 penalty settlement to resolve sanitary sewer overflows from the Frederick County collection system from January 2022 through December 2023. The penalty was paid in full.
R.L. Jackson, Inc. – Cecil County
On July 16, 2024, MDE issued a $10,740 penalty settlement to R.L. Jackson, Inc., to resolve alleged discharge permit violations from October 2018 through June 2023. The penalty is to be paid in full by July 2025.
Talbot County Department of Public Works – Talbot County
On September 27, 2024, MDE issued a $10,000 penalty settlement to the Talbot County Department of Public Works to resolve sanitary sewer overflows from March 2020 through December 2023. The penalty was paid in full.
Fairmount Landfill – Somerset County
On April 6, 2023, MDE and the Board of County Commissioners for Somerset County entered into a settlement agreement and consent order regarding alleged water pollution violations at the Fairmount Landfill. On August 15, 2024, MDE issued a demand letter for the $10,000 penalty that was being held in abeyance under the order for failure to implement five of the corrective actions required under the order.
Valley Country Club – Baltimore County
On August 26, 2024, MDE issued a $10,000 penalty settlement to resolve alleged permit violations and unauthorized discharges from 2014 through September 2023 at the Valley Swim and Tennis Club in Towson. The penalty has been paid in full.
Contact Information
Office of Communications
410-537-3003
