Funding Baltimore's Fair Elections Fund
On September 16, the Baltimore City Council's Judiciary Committee has its hearing on the Baltimore Fair Elections Fund, important legislation to level the playing field for candidates hoping to win local offices in Baltimore. Clean Water Action supports initiatives like this that make our democracy work and help people speak out against developers and polluting industries. Read our testimony below!
September 16, 2019
Dear Baltimore City Council Judiciary Committee,
A Zero Waste Business on Baltimore's Bag Ban
Planning a Livable Future for Frederick County
In the next few decades, how and where Frederick County grows will have enormous impacts on improvement or decline in air and water quality, how much County residents contribute to climate change, and how the County adapts to the changing climate around us. Frederick County is in the process of writing the Livable Frederick Master Plan, a document to envision what the County will look like in 2040 and the steps we should take to get there. Download the document and read more about that process here.
Baltimore's Plastic Bag Reduction Bill: public hearings and work sessions
On Tuesday, August 6, the Baltimore City Council's Judiciary Committee held its first public hearing on the Plastic Bag Reduction Bill. This important legislation bans plastic bags in stores in Baltimore, with exceptions for bags used for products like fresh meats, unpackaged fruits, or ice, and locations like farmers' markets and pharmacies. It also puts a 5-cent fee on paper bags - part of which will help the store meet the extra cost of buying and storing paper bags, and part of which can help the city distribute free reusable bags.
Senate, Save the Land and Water Conservation Fund!
Last week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and Clean Water Action's Baltimore team traveled to the hearing to stand up for public lands.
Municipal compost in Baltimore and beyond
This morning, the Baltimore City Council's Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee held a public hearing on Resolution "for the purpose of inviting the Director of the Department of Public Works, the Head of the Bureau of Solid Waste, the Director of the Office of Sustainability, the Coordinator of the Office of Sustainability, and the City Arborist to update the City Council on the City’s progress toward creating a municipal composting program, to provide a fiscal impact statement on creating the program, and to estimate a time line for Citywide implementation of municipal compo