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The Maryland General Assembly approved legislation supporting the Department of the Environment’s efforts to regulate natural gas drilling - one of several bills passed to protect public health and the environment.
House Bill 72 allows MDE to respond to an expected increase in interest in drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. MDE expects to receive about 40 permit applications a year for construction of gas wells. The bill authorizes the Department to impose fees to pay for regulatory oversight of natural gas drilling. By collecting fees for permit applications and production the agency is putting into place a fiscal study’s recommendation that fees should be adequate to pay for critical programs.
The bill is one of several passed with support from MDE during the 2010 General Assembly session. The legislature approved an O’Malley-Brown administration bill that encourages both in-state production and the use of such renewable energy as solar power, and it allocated more than $22 million to the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund, among other measures.
The bills went from the legislature to Governor O’Malley’s desk for his signature.
Also, a legislative committee approved emergency regulations that clarify the rules promulgated by MDE under the Stormwater Act of 2007. After legislation that would have weakened the original regulations was introduced, discussions that included MDE, stakeholders and lawmakers produced the emergency regulations. Those regulations outline steps that developers must take to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff.
Other legislation of significance to MDE included:
A Department-sponsored bill (HB 73) that brings Maryland law into conformance with recent changes made at the federal level to the Water Quality Revolving Loan Fund. This allows MDE to continue to administer a crucial source of financing for clean water and drinking water capital projects throughout the state.
SB 60, a Department bill that adds five members, and their additional expertise, to the Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities. The additional members are representatives from the departments of Business and Economic Development, Housing and Community Development, and Transportation, along with two new public members.
HB 68, also a Department bill, which requires that recipients of grants of more than $500,000 from the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust fund take steps to increase the likelihood of participation by small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses in projects. Similar requirements exist for other programs administered by MDE.
HB 33/SB213, which prohibit a person from manufacturing, distributing, or knowingly selling child care articles that contain bisphenol-A (BPA) on or after January 10, 2012.
SB 1117, which extends the transfer fee per barrel of oil transferred into the State at the current level of 5.75 cent per barrel. These revenues support the Department’s Oil Control Program.
SB 382, which authorizes MDE to set up a licensing board for marine contractors and sets permit turn-around times for a limited set of wetlands and waterway permits.
SB 556, which phases out the manufacture, lease, sale, and distribution of products containing decabrominated diphenyl ether (decaBDE), a bioaccumulative toxin .
HB 982, which requires MDE to evaluate the solid waste management processes that might be used by the state to reduce the waste stream through recycling and source reduction. The bill also required MDE to examine long-term funding for solid waste management and recycling in the state.
In addition to SB 277 and HB474, which encourage use of renewable energy, the Department supported a number of bills that are consistent with the state’s Climate Action Plan, including bills to support the use of low emissions vehicles, protection of farmland, and support of smart growth.
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