EPA tightens air quality standard for the first time in 12 years

WASHINGTON- The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new standard for air quality aimed to reduce pollution. The agency predicts this strengthened standard will prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and avoid an estimated 800,000 cases of asthma symptoms. It targets…

Maryland needs to do more to enforce anti-lead laws, advocates say

Advocates are calling on Maryland leaders to boost spending on anti-lead programs and improve enforcement.

Chesapeake Bay area lawmakers urge EPA to enforce pollution standards

Pennsylvania and New York fell short in meeting their pollution reduction goals to reduce Chesapeake Bay pollution sources by 2025. Lawmakers are pushing the Billion for the Bay Initiative to obtain more federal funding for Bay cleanup.

The Washington Bullpen, Episode 10

This week in “The Washington Bullpen” podcast, hosts Julia Karron and Jarod Golub of the Capital News Service Washington Bureau talk about the city’s iconic cherry blossoms, big trouble at the Environmental Protection Agency and teacher strikes in Kentucky and…

Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay defenders hold breath, wait on Senate

WASHINGTON — If the Senate does not restore a deep, House-passed cut in federal funding to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program, the ripple effect on Maryland conservation efforts could be far larger than what the state would lose…

EPA funds pediatric asthma study at Johns Hopkins for Baltimore’s at-risk youth

Twenty percent of children in Baltimore suffer from asthma, which is more than double the national average. Lawmakers are taking the first step in clearing the air by funding a Johns Hopkins study that may bring them closer to preventing pediatric asthma.

More Protection for Md. Waters Under Proposed EPA Rule

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to extend Clean Water Act protection to smaller bodies of water across the country, including waterways that feed into the Chesapeake Bay.

States’ Support of Chesapeake Lawsuit Draws Thousands of Petition Signatures

A Chesapeake Bay Foundation petition has attracted more than 25,000 signers supporting the Environmental Protection Agency against a lawsuit supported by 21 states.

EPA Regulations on Power Plant Emissions Could Devastate Western Maryland Coal Mining, Industry Says

Carbon limits on new power plants could hurt Western Maryland’s coal mining industry.

Bay Restoration Fee Increase Proposed to O’Malley Task Force

A governor’s task force on sustainable growth on Tuesday heard a proposal to double and eventually triple Marylanders’ monthly water and sewer fee of $2.50 for Chesapeake Bay restoration. The recommendation would increase the average residential fee from $30 per year to $60 per year starting in the 2013 fiscal year and $90 per year in the 2015 fiscal year.