At midnight on April 10, the 2006 session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned for the year. Thanks to people like you, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters was successful in keeping the environment front and center for lawmakers.

Below are highlights and lowlights of the 2006 legislative session.
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Healthy Air
Because of a loophole in clean air laws, Maryland's seven dirtiest power plants have been allowed to pollute at extreme levels-many times the standards newer plants must meet. The Healthy Air Act, SB 154 / HB 189, requires power plant operators to use affordable, modern technology to reduce air pollution. In addition to fighting serious harmful effects on human and environmental health caused by mercury, nitrogen, and sulfur, the Healthy Air Act will help Maryland take steps to reduce carbon dioxide, which causes global warming.

The Healthy Air Act passed both the Senate and House by a bi-partisan majority and was signed by the governor.

Land Conservation
Program Open Space, Maryland's dedicated funding source for land conservation, has been raided for the past four years. This has resulted in a loss of over $400 million for this critical program to create parks, preserve conservation lands, and save farms in Maryland. Fortunately, this year, Program Open Space received full funding of $361 million in the governor's budget, and the General Assembly maintained full funding.

In addition, there was a separate bill to accelerate the repayment of previously diverted funds to 2008 instead of 2012 (SB 493 / HB 815). This legislation was heard in committee. On the final day of session, HB 815 was defeated in committee but SB 493 was not voted on.

Citizen's Right to a Day in Court
Although often permitted a voice before zoning boards and similar public agencies, Maryland community and environmental organizations are consistently denied "standing to sue"-the right to contest or appeal adverse decisions in the courts where ultimate decisions are made. SB 589 / HB 1429 would level the playing field by allowing community and environmental organizations to challenge environmental permits in court and bring Maryland law in accord with the federal law.

On the last day of session, a conference committee met to agree on the legislation. Their report was accepted by the House, but failed in the Senate.

Farmland Preservation
Farming in Maryland is at a critical crossroads: the number of farms is declining, production costs are continuing to rise while profits continue to fall, and poorly planned development is encroaching on acre after acre of prime farmland. Maryland needs to invest in agriculture to help farmers implement necessary practices to protect waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. SB 5 / HB 2 provided dedicated funding to address some of these major concerns. Unfortunately the final version of these bills included considerably less funding than had been originally requested.

HB 2 passed the House and Senate and will go to the governor for his signature.

Blackwater Refuge
The disastrous development proposed outside Blackwater National Refuge on the Eastern Shore is a poster child for the poorly planned development and lack of environmental protections that are becoming all too common in Maryland, and it will hurt the Chesapeake Bay-a resource we all share. SB 257 / HB 1138 would have outlawed development in conservation areas next to or within 1,000 feet of Blackwater National Refuge.

Unfortunately, the emergency Blackwater bill died in the Senate, essentially defeating the House version as well.

Energy Savings Investment Program
The Energy Savings Investment Program would have re-established an important energy efficiency program that would save consumers millions of dollars in energy costs, reduce pollution, and increase energy reliability.

This bill (SB 590) was not brought up for a vote in the Senate committee.

Voter Rights Bills
Thank you for defending voter rights in our state! After Governor Ehrlich vetoed 3 important voter bills passed in 2005, you helped us rally for voter rights last summer, signed our online petition, and made phone calls to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate.

In the early days of the session, the Maryland legislature overturned Governor Ehrlich's vetoes on 3 bills (SB 478, HB 622, and SB 287), which will increase voter participation. Marylanders will now have access to early voting and absentee ballots on demand, and our provisional votes will be protected.

Other Important Bills

Removing Mercury from Vehicle Switches
HB 1597 / SB 1006 requires the removal and recycling of mercury-containing switches from vehicles, eliminating a sizable source of mercury in Maryland. SB 1006 passed the Senate and was heard in the House Environmental Matters Committee, where it was not voted on.

Removing Mercury from Thermostats
SB 772 / HB 1041 prohibits the sale of thermostats containing mercury, increasing the likelihood that mercury will be dealt with properly and not end up in landfills and incinerators, where it is released into the environment and contaminates Maryland's waters, fisheries, and other marine life. This bill passed both chambers and became law without the governor's signature.

Stormwater Management
SB 625 would require the Maryland Department of the Environment to put better performance criteria and enhanced regulatory standards into the statewide stormwater management guidelines and provide a funding avenue that adds more field inspectors and heightened standards-without further stressing already limited state resources. Sadly, this bill did not make it out of committee.

Bay Restoration Fund
In 2004, the General Assembly recognized the importance of including all sewage disposal systems equally and fairly in the "flush fee" and overwhelmingly passed this law, including septics. SB 174 sought to exempt those on a septic system. Fortunately, this bill was defeated by the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs committee.

Increasing Minority Participation in the Environmental Community
SB 350 / HB 412 creates a task force on Minority Participation in the Environmental Community. Minority representation in the environmental community is critically important for a full discussion of environmental issues. The task force will help improve communication between minority communities and the broader environmental community, and ultimately will result in better environmental protections. This legislation passed both chambers and will go to the governor for his signature.

Workplace Giving Campaigns
HB 1507 would open up public workplace giving campaigns to a broader number of federations. This will be helpful particularly to small local environmental groups working throughout Maryland to educate school children about environmental issues, getting city children out into the woods and marshes, and protect land from poorly planned development. This bill passed the House, but did not make it out of the Senate on the last day of session.

Environmental Enforcement Penalties
SB 125 establishes penalties for falsifying or altering any permit, license, or certificate issued under the Environment Article. Environmental certificates, licenses, and permits grounded in falsehoods are a real and substantial danger to the public's health and safety. This bill passed the Senate and the House and will go to the governor for his signature.

Water Quality Penalties
HB 854 would have made much-needed amendments to penalties imposed under Maryland's water quality statutes. The administrative penalties for violations of Maryland's clean water provisions are woefully inadequate-increasing the administrative penalties to $10,000 and removing the total caps on judgments would have provided the backbone needed to support Maryland's water quality laws. Unfortunately, this bill was defeated in the House committee.