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AGENDA

Opening Remarks – Susan Olsen, Vice Chair, Sierra Club Lower Eastern Shore Group

Moderator Welcome – Elle Bassett, Miles-Wye Riverkeeper, ShoreRivers

Legislator Overview of 2022 Environmental Legislation –

Delegate Jared Solomon – Appropriations Committee

FUTURE Act, Funding for Sustainable Maryland Stormwater Program

Delegate Brooke Lierman – Environment and Transportation Committee

Extended Producer Responsibility Act

Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo – Environment and Transportation Committee

Climate Crisis and Environmental Justice Act, Electric School Bus Conversion

Delegate Sara Love – Environment and Transportation Committee

PFAS, Single Use Plastics

Delegate Mary Lehman – Environment and Transportation Committee

Synthetic Turf and Turf Infill – Chain of Custody

Cindy Dillon, Sierra Club for Delegate Regina Boyce – Environment and Transportation Committee

Maryland Paint Stewardship

Question and Answer

Closing Remarks – Jake Day, Mayor of Salisbury

Wrap Up – Elle Bassett, Miles-Wye Riverkeeper, ShoreRivers

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DELEGATE JARED SOLOMON�District 18, Montgomery County�Appropriations Committee

FUTURE Act – MSCAC Progress and Accomplishments

Previously fossil fuel free UMD

Recruited students from 10 universities in Maryland

UM Eastern Shore, UM College Park, UM Center for Environmental Science, UM Baltimore Campus, Towson, Salisbury, St. Mary’s, Morgan State, Frostburg State, Bowie State

Letters of support from student government organizations (SGAs, RHAs, GSCs)

28 organizations endorsed our bill and over 1500 individuals signed our petition last year

Educational events (lobby trainings, panel events, youth leadership development)

Wrote the FUTURE act

Nina Jeffries, MARYPIRG Student Climate Action Coalition nikjeffries@gmail.com

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DELEGATE JARED SOLOMON�District 18, Montgomery County�Appropriations Committee

FUTURE Act –

Carbon neutrality for all MD public colleges by 2035

Scope 1 & 2 by 2025
No offset purchasing for scopes 1 & 2 by 2055*

Creates Environmental and Economic Justice Scholarship Fund for students displaced by climate change or from environmental justice communities*

All schools must have an Office of Sustainability

Offices of sustainability across the state must work together and share resources to achieve goals and report on progress and show collaboration

Maryland Higher Education Commission to produce a feasibility report for establishing a Sustainability General Education Requirement *

* new this year

Nina Jeffries, MARYPIRG Student Climate Action Coalition nikjeffries@gmail.com

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DELEGATE JARED SOLOMON�District 18, Montgomery County�Appropriations Committee

Funding for Sustainable Maryland Stormwater Program –

Since 2011 -

Created and trained more than 50 green teams in MD
Certified 16 municipal stormwater management programs, supporting local WIP implementation and the targeting of investments to the basins with the greatest potential for meaningful water quality improvements

This bill will –

Ensure that Maryland Municipalities more easily understand and identify the full slate of state, county, and non-profit programs that local governments, businesses, and residents can tap into for support of their sustainability efforts.
Enables the expansion and enhancement of voluntary community sustainability actions across Maryland, inclusive of a small grants program to incentivize action; and
Helps communities implement their chosen actions with help from program tools, trainings, case studies, and other resources.

Molly McKee Seabrook, University of Maryland mckee@umd.edu

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DELEGATE BROOKE LIERMAN�District 46 Baltimore City�Environment and Transportation Committee

Extended Producer Responsibility Act –

EPR shifts the costs and responsibility of waste management and recycling from taxpayers and local governments to the producers.

EPR already applies to many products in Maryland, such as batteries, products that contain mercury, and various electronics. Existing EPR programs function as “take-back programs” that the producers stand up.

This bill creates epr for packaging. Under this bill, local government maintains control over existing municipal waste and recycling systems and requires producers to contribute financially via reimbursing the existing system and funding new infrastructure.

Shane Robinson, Trash Free Maryland shane@trashfreemaryland.org

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DELEGATE BROOKE LIERMAN�District 46 Baltimore City�Environment and Transportation Committee

Definitions: PRO & Plan –

“Producer Responsibility Organization” (PRO)

501-c-3 organization created by group of producers to implement producer responsibility plan

“Producer Responsibility Plan”

Plan developed by PRO to address covered products and materials, submitted to MDE

Shane Robinson, Trash Free Maryland shane@trashfreemaryland.org

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DELEGATE BROOKE LIERMAN�District 46 Baltimore City�Environment and Transportation Committee

Producers create and fund PRO

MDE reviews and approves PRO plan; conducts oversight and enforcement

Producers develop producer responsibility plan

Local government reimbursed for collection, transportation, sorting, and recycling costs.

Investments made to reuse, recycling, composting infrastructure.

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DELEGATE BROOKE LIERMAN�District 46 Baltimore City�Environment and Transportation Committee

Methods of financing

Fee structure for members - Fees collected will be used to: reimburse local govt. for management of packaging, to improve infrastructure, and to operate PRO.

Fees will be eco-modulated - Incentives created to encourage reuse, post-consumer recycled content and recyclability of packaging. Disincentives (penalties / increased fees) for packaging that disrupts recycling systems.

Method for reimbursing local governments - For costs associated with collection, transport, processing, and recycling of packaging.

Shane Robinson, Trash Free Maryland shane@trashfreemaryland.org

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DELEGATE BROOKE LIERMAN�District 46 Baltimore City�Environment and Transportation Committee

Accountability –

Advisory Council input on plan; MDE review + approval

Reporting requirements

Producers submit reporting to MDE with accounting; progress towards environmental goals, infrastructure investments, etc.

Public website created and maintained

Prohibition to sell, import, or distribute if not part of PRO or submitting independent producer responsibility plan

Civil penalties

Financing subject to independent audits

Regular re-authorization of producer responsibility plans

Shane Robinson, Trash Free Maryland shane@trashfreemaryland.org

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DELEGATE BROOKE LIERMAN�District 46 Baltimore City�Environment and Transportation Committee

Changes from 2021 Legislative Session –

Expanded environmental goals

Required reporting on progress towards goals

Removed exemptions (boat shrink wrap; pharmaceutical packaging)

Added advisory council with diverse stakeholder representation which will provide feedback on producer responsibility plan

Added ability for fees collected to fund infrastructure

Added needs assessment to inform decision-making around infrastructure improvements

Shane Robinson, Trash Free Maryland shane@trashfreemaryland.org

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DELEGATE DAVID FRASER-HIDALGO�District 15, Montgomery County�Environment and Transportation Committee

Climate Crisis and Environmental Justice Act –

Builds on the statewide Inventory and Emissions Reduction Plan setting new statewide, greenhouse gas emission reduction goals of 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2040
.
Establishes two types of fossil fuel fees that include a polluter pays, no-pass through provision.

Non-transportation fuel fee (Building Heat) that starts at $15/ton CO2 and increases $5/ton per year and is capped at $60/ton until the target is met
Transportation fuel fee(Gas) starts at $10/ton CO2, increases $3/ton per year and is capped at $37/ton until the target is met

Establishes revenue for two separate funds for green infrastructure, and household and employer benefits.

50% of the total revenue will go to low-and moderate- households and energy-intensive trade-exposed (EITE) businesses to protect them from financial harm
50% of the total revenue will go to the Climate Crisis Infrastructure fund to invest in initiatives that improve the health and welfare of the citizens of Maryland

Creates a Climate Crisis Council in coordination with the Maryland Department of Environment, will develop a plan to achieve targets, hold periodic public meetings, administer schedules of fees, and delegate distribution of funds.

Wandra Ashley Williams, Climate Xchange wandra@climate-xchange.org

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DELEGATE DAVID FRASER-HIDALGO�District 15, Montgomery County�Environment and Transportation Committee

Electric School Bus Conversion –

Dirty diesel school buses emit dangerous pollutants that kids breathe into their developing lungs, causing respiratory illnesses, aggravating asthma and exposing youth to cancer-causing pollutants. Maryland has more than 7,250 diesel school buses in operation around the state, and every day more than 650,000 kids ride one of these buses to and from school. Nearly 1 in 10 of them suffer from asthma.

The Public Utilities - Electric School Bus Pilot Program will expand the benefits of zero-emission electric school buses to school districts across Maryland, improving community health.

The pilot program would be implemented and paid for by Maryland’s investor-owned electrical companies. School systems in each utility service area are eligible to purchase zero-emission electric school buses rather than diesel ones at no additional cost to the districts.
Investor-owned electrical companies will provide rebates to school systems to cover the incremental costs of purchasing and deploying electric school buses.

Ramón Palencia-Calvo, Deputy Executive Director, Maryland League of Conservation Voters rpcalvo@mdlcv.o rg

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DELEGATE SARA LOVE�District 16, Montgomery County�Environment and Transportation Committee

PFAS –

PFAS chemicals are polluting drinking water in Maryland and across the country. These toxic chemicals accumulate in our bodies and have been linked to harmful health effects like cancer and other serious illnesses.��This bill protects public health by restricting the use and disposal of toxic PFAS chemicals in Maryland.

- Bans the use of PFAS chemicals in firefighting foam, food packaging, rugs and carpets.

Prevents the mass incineration or landfilling of PFAS chemicals.

Emily Scarr Maryland PIRG @emilyscarr

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DELEGATE SARA LOVE�District 16, Montgomery County�Environment and Transportation Committee

Single Use Plastics –

Prohibits, beginning January 1, 2022, a food service business from providing single-use food or beverage products to a customer unless requested by the customer
Requires a food service business to maintain a limited supply of single-use food and beverage products for customers who request them
Prohibits, beginning January 1, 2024, an owner, an operator, or a manager of a lodging establishment with 51 or more rooms from providing personal cleansing products in small plastic bottles

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DELEGATE MARY LEHMAN�District 21, Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties�Environment and Transportation Committee

Synthetic Turf and Turf Infill – Chain of Custody -

WHAT IS SYNTHETIC TURF?

�Average playing field is �80,000 square feet��= 40,000 pounds of �plastic backing and �plastic blades ��= 400,000 pounds of �infill (scrap tire waste, silica �sand, or other infill �material)

Synthetic turf has a limited lifespan. According to the Synthetic Turf Council, “it is estimated that 750 or more synthetic turf fields are removed annually in the United States. At an average of 80,000 sq. ft. of turf and 400,000 lbs. of infill per field, the amount of material to be handled is enormous.”

Diana Conway, Safe, Healthy Playing Fields, Inc dianaconway@outlook.com

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HB131: KEY POINTS

FOR the purpose of requiring a producer of synthetic turf and turf infill sold or distributed in the state to establish a system to track the chain of custody of the synthetic turf and turf infill and report the chain of custody to the department of the environment;
Requiring a certain owner of synthetic turf and turf infill to report certain information to the department;
Requiring the department to develop and maintain a website that displays certain chain of custody information;
Making a violation of this act a civil offense; and generally relating to synthetic turf and turf infill.

Diana Conway, Safe, Healthy Playing Fields, Inc dianaconway@outlook.com

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HB131: THE NEED

1. There is currently no transparency or accountability regarding artificial turf recycling, reuse, and disposal.
2. There is no official inventory of the number/location of synthetic turf playing fields in Maryland.
3. There are significant environmental and health risks, and considerable cost factors associated with discarded fields.
4. The synthetic turf council provides examples of end-of-life chain of custody in their 2017 guidelines for “recycle, reuse, repurpose, and remove synthetic turf systems.” But there is currently no requirement.

Diana Conway, Safe, Healthy Playing Fields, Inc dianaconway@outlook.com

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DELEGATE REGINA BOYCE�District 43, Baltimore City�Environment and Transportation Committee

Maryland Paint Stewardship –

What It Does –

• Reduces the generation of leftover architectural paint

• Promotes paint reuse

• Establishes a network of paint drop-off sites

• Recycles and properly manages leftover paint

• Educates consumers on the issue

it’s Simple – Here’s How It Works

• Paint consumers pay a small paint stewardship fee called the “Paintcare Fee,” which is added to purchase price of paint

• After using paint, drop leftover paint at one of MANY convenient drop-off sites for no charge

• Paintcare picks up leftover paint from drop-off sites

• Paint is transported to an authorized recycling/reuse facility

Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self Reliance bplatt@ilsr.org

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DELEGATE REGINA BOYCE�District 43, Baltimore City�Environment and Transportation Committee

Maryland Paint Stewardship –

A low cost solution -

• Self-sufficient and sustainable

• Operates without state funds

• Provides households and businesses increased opportunities to reuse/recycle their leftover paint

• Provides direct large-volume pickup services for amounts more than 100 gallons

• Oversees the collection, transport, and processing of returned paint

• Saves local governments money by reducing the HHW collection and management burden currently borne by municipalities

• Provides consumers information on how to buy the right amount of paint and use up what’s left

Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self Reliance bplatt@ilsr.org

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