Critics hit Trump administration over information backlog, delays

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration came under fire Wednesday from congressional critics who said agencies were unnecessarily delaying or blocking release of public information about the government. “The Trump administration should be operating with a presumption of openness — as…

Critics see toothpaste boxes as threat to environment

WASHINGTON – Why do toothpaste companies package their product in boxes when it already comes in a tube? American consumers last year bought 423.5 million units of leading toothpaste brands like Colgate, Sensodyne and Crest, according to Statista, and all…

Chesapeake farmers target runoff reduction, lawmakers seek conservation funds

MIDDLETOWN, Maryland — A gaggle of excitable white turkeys gobbled and clucked in their pen at Open Book Farm on a chilly afternoon in late October. Most days, the birds roamed free in one of the farm’s pastures, scratching and…

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…

Trump’s proposed Chesapeake Bay cleanup cuts face Hill battle

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s plan to slash 90 percent of Chesapeake Bay cleanup funding, which could dismantle several decades of environmental restoration, met resistance from Maryland’s Democratic congressional delegation. The cuts, which would drop the budget for Chesapeake Bay…

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…

Hogan sues EPA over neighboring power plant pollution

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced a lawsuit Wednesday against the federal Environmental Protection Agency for failing to enforce limits on air-pollution control at 19 mostly coal-fired power plants in five states upwind of Maryland. “We want…

Lawmakers blast Trump budget cutting Chesapeake Bay cleanup

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers from states surrounding the Chesapeake Bay on Wednesday expressed bipartisan criticism of President Donald Trump’s proposal to end federal support for cleaning up Chesapeake Bay. “The president’s budget that would zero out the Chesapeake Bay Program is…

Trump budget plan draws mostly negative reviews among Maryland lawmakers

WASHINGTON — Maryland Democrats on Thursday voiced their displeasure with the Trump administration’s budget proposals, citing federal cuts to Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the National Institutes of Health. “The Trump budget is great if you…

Trump moves cast cloud over climate change work in Maryland

WASHINGTON – Maryland state officials and the Environmental Protection Agency have worked to restore the Chesapeake Bay and combat climate change over the past eight years, but uncertainty surrounds the future of these policies as a new administration enters the…