News
Baltimore City, Maryland Department of the Environment Settle Lawsuits Over City-Operated Sewage Treatment Plants
Activists hailed the agreement’s $4.75 million civil penalty as the largest in 25 years for a water pollution infraction—and one of the biggest ever in Maryland for an environmental law violation.
By Aman Azhar
Environmental advocates hope an agreement negotiated earlier this month by Baltimore City, the state Department of the Environment and the nonprofit Blue Water Baltimore to upgrade the city’s two wastewater treatment plants will help meet the state’s Chesapeake Bay restoration goals.
Related Knowledge Center: Air emissions
State of Play
More than 30 years after the last major update of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has upended the ability of Congress to give the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies broad scope to combat air pollution, including the emission of greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, further Biden administration efforts to limit emissions face opposition in the courts.