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The federal government honored Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) employees at the U.S. Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division Awards Ceremony held in Washington, D.C., September 16. Six MDE employees, including:
- Jack Bowen, Administrator, Water Management
Administration Compliance Program
- Carol Coates, Enforcement Manager, Water Management Administration Compliance Program
- Dave Lyons, Enforcement Division Chief, Water Management Administration Compliance Program
- Rosewin Sweeney, Principal Counsel, Office of the Attorney General
- Jennifer Wazenski, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General
- Nancy Young, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General…
…were awarded for their efforts in two joint federal-state settlements to protect regional waters from contamination by untreated sewage.
"The Department of the Environment is proud of our employees who worked so hard on these settlements. We thank them for their effort and commitment," said Secretary Kendl P. Philbrick. "Their work resulted in a successful billion-dollar settlement enforcing the Clean Water Act that will help to protect our environment and keep millions of Maryland and D.C. residents safe from harmful pollutants."
This billion-dollar effort reinforces the importance of investing in sewer infrastructure and advancing regional partnerships to protect citizens and restore waters of regional and national significance.
MDE, the Department of Justice, and the Environmental Protection Agency reached two major Clean Water Act settlements with Baltimore County and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) that will lead to more than $1 billion in sewer system improvements. The settlements were designed to prevent chronic sewage overflows to regional waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay and the Anacostia, Patapsco, Patuxent, and Potomac rivers.
For more information on the settlements, visit MDE's website at: www.mde.state.md.us/PressReleases/748.html.
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