Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin's bill to strengthen the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort made it out of the Environment and Public Works Committee today, my colleague Paul West reports, but only after the Maryland Democrat made concessions to Republican opponents.

According to West's report on the Sun's Maryland Politics blog, the bill no longer codifies the baywide pollution limit, or "total maximum daily load," that the Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to impose later this year across the six-state bay watershed.

Environmentalists had seen that as a key provision in the bill, as it strengthens EPA's authority to enforce the "pollution diet," as federal officials have called it, on Maryland and the other bay states.

But farmers and their supporters oppose the Cardin bill because they contend it would give EPA latitude to expand its regulatory authority over agricultural activities. Runoff of manure and chemical fertilizer from farms is a leading source of the nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment fouling the bay. For more, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Maryland's coastal bays - the oft-overlooked inland waterways that cradle the state's Atlantic beach resort - remain in better shape overall than the Chesapeake Bay, according to their latest ecological report card released today. But beneath that good news lurks a troubling trend.

The shallow estuaries behind Ocean City and Assateague Island rated a C+ overall in 2009, the same grade they received for 2008.  There were some signs of improvement in the most degraded areas - the northern bays and western tributaries - offset by continuing declines in water quality in Chincoteague Bay, the largest and least developed of the entire inland bay system.

Assawoman Bay, in particular, went from a C to a C+ with gains in sea grasses, higher oxygen levels in the water and lower nitrogen, according to the report prepared by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.  Sea grass abundance throughout the bays last year increased 25 percent, though underwater vegetation is still down from what it was before a precipitous decline in 2005.  

Shellfish in the bays were a mixed bag,  with clam densities improved in Assawoman, Isle of Wight and Sinepuxent bays.  But they were only half their long-term average in Newport and Chincoteague bays.  Scallops haven't been seen in Chincoteague since 2005.

Experts say they aren't sure why Chincoteague Bay seems to be losing ground.  It and Sinepuxent Bay both saw a marked decline in dissolved oxygen in the water from 2008 to 2009.  Nutrients in Chincoteague come from a variety of sources, including household septic systems, and runoff from farm fields and ditches.  Yet Dave Wilson  Jr., executive director of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, says many farmers in the Maryland drainage of Chincoteague practice have taken steps to curb runoff.  

One possibility may be that nutrients that soaked into the ground water years ago may be finally making their way to the bay.  Another source may lie to the south, as Maryland shares Chincoteague Bay with Virginia.  Wilson notes that Chincoteague Island in Virginia lacks wastewater treatment.

"We just aren't sure," Wilson says in an email, "and it can be very frustrating to figure out this decline, which has been occurring since 2001."

Another source of frustration for Wilson is the lack of resources to monitor and work on upgrading the coastal bays, relative to the much larger Chesapeake.  His program receives about $11 million a year, he says.

"The bays behind Ocean City and Assateague continue to be underfunded and overlooked," contends Wilson.

(Baltimore Sun photo of Sinepuxent Bay by Karl Merton Ferron)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, News
        

This evening, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Toole Design Group will present new plans for physical improvements along Guilford Avenue between University Parkway and Mt. Royal Avenue to manage traffic speeds, increase greenery, and improve conditions for bicyclists. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Sherwood Room in Levering Hall on the Johns Hopkins University campus.

Among the improvements slated for Guilford Avenue is the City’s first bike boulevard. Also known as neighborhood greenways, bike boulevards are low-traffic neighborhood streets that are optimized for bicycling by providing direct and attractive routes for bikes and making the streets quieter, prettier, and healthier (compared to busy, car-filled streets). While they provide a wide variety of benefits to pedestrians and residents, bike boulevards also offer a more convenient and comfortable route to both novice and seasoned cyclists.

According to Patrick McMahon, Transportation Chair of the Greater Baltimore Sierra Club and member of the Baltimore City Sustainability Commission, Baltimore’s gridded street system is ideal for bike boulevards and Guilford Avenue is a great place to start. He says, “Guilford is already heavily used by bicyclists for commuting, getting to the four elementary schools located just off Guilford, and just riding around town and the signage and engineering improvements planned will make it more attractive for bicycle riders, pedestrians, and neighborhood residents.”

In a recent blog post, Bike Baltimore notes that “Improvements to Guilford will include striping the parking lanes and centerline, way finding signs, and speed cushions. Select stop signs will be turned, giving bikes on Guilford priority.”

If you’d like to attend tonight’s meeting, RSVP here.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Chesapeake Bay cleanup bill loved by environmentalists and hated by farmers gets its first test in Washington Wednesday -- though certainly not its last.

S. 1816, introduced by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md, is slated for markup in the Environment and Public Works Committee. Cardin, a member of the committee, said Tuesday he's confident he has enough support there to get the measure to the Senate floor. The question is, what will it look like after the marking-up is done?

Cardin plans to introduce an extensively amended bill - "in the nature of a substitute" - that he said attempts to clarify and ease farmers' concerns about opening the door wide to broader federal regulation of farming and land use.

Among the "sweeteners" for farmers added to the bill is a provision that no one can be subject to additional federal enforcement if they're in compliance with a state's bay cleanup plan.   Cardin said the revised bill also makes clearer that farmers can get paid to adopt conservation practices on their land under a nutrient-pollution trading program. 

Another nod to farmers is a friendly amendment planned by Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., to promote the conversion of poultry waste into energy.

But Cardin acknowledged he's been unable to win over farming groups so far, and he expects some amendments from Republican senators that could generate debate.

The American Farm Bureau, for one, has thrown its support behind a competing farmer-friendly Chesapeake Bay bill put in by Reps. Tim Holden, D-Penn., and Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.   It emphasizes providing more incentives to farmers to voluntarily curb polluted runoff, and gives the U.S. Department of Agriculture a leading role in the federal cleanup effort.

The bureau's Don Parrish says farmers oppose Cardin's bill because they believe it would give sweeping new authority to the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate land use of all types, not just farming.  The bill also broadens the scope for citizen groups to file lawsuits against farms and even state officials for failure to clean up enough, Parrish says. 

"You are talking about the footprint of homes, where people live and drive, how people use their land," he said.  "It's a very stringent bill. I'm not sure everybody appreciates how stringent it is." 

And while the bill only deals with the six-state bay watershed, the farm bureau lobbyist said opponents worry it could lead to new national water pollution regulations.

Cardin acknowledges farmers remain hostile to his bill, but he contends they're misinformed.

"There were farmers saying that EPA could start regulating birdbaths with this thing," he said.  On the contrary, he said, the main responsibility for restoring the bay resides with the states, with EPA setting pollution-reduction targets and serving as a referree to determine if states are meeting their obligations.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Doug Siglin said Cardin is savvy enough to realize he needs conservative Democrat and even some Republican votes to get Senate leaders to take up the bill.  With "a ton of amendments" already filed, Siglin says he expects a much-changed bill to emerge from the committee, but one that he's confident should still give added impetus to the long-running bay restoration.

Cardin says the revised bill, which you can read here, now represents the "collective wisdom" of all the stakeholder interests in the six-state watershed.   While national farm groups still want to strip some of EPA's existing authority to regulate agriculture, Cardin said, he's not willing to "go backward." 

"The bill is I think a major step forward for the Chesapeake Bay," Cardin said. 

Clearing the Senate, though, will just be one step toward becoming law.  In the House, Rep. Elijah  Cummings, D-Md., has introduced a bill, HR 3852, mirroring Cardin's, which now must face competition from the Holden-Goodlatte camp.

(AP Photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Supporters and opponents of a refuse-burning power plant in south Baltimore squared off Monday night, with residents of Brooklyn and Curtis Bay saying they need the jobs the nearly $1 billion project would bring, while environmentalists warned it would emit health-threatening air pollution.

About two dozen people turned out for the public hearing called by the Maryland Public Service Commission, which must decide whether to approve the 120-megawatt "renewable energy" plant in Fairfield.  Only about a third spoke during the brief hearing at the Polish Home Hall in Curtis Bay, but the majority favored the project proposed by Energy Answers International of Albany, NY. 

Kurt Kramer, project manager, said the company aims to build the facility (artist's rendering above) to gold LEED standards on a capped portion of the contaminated old FMC chemical plant (pictured below) on Patapsco Avenue.  The project would employ boiler technology used in coal-burning power plants to generate electricity and steam from shredded municipal trash, tires, auto parts and wood waste.  It would be more efficient and cleaner than standard waste-to-energy incinerators, Kramer said, exceeding federal pollution-control requirements for emissions of particulates, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury and lead, among other things.

The project manager also contended the facility would pump more than $40 million a year into the local economy, employing 300 to 400 people on a daily basis in its construction.   Company officials have said the plant's operation would employ about 200.

Environmentalists, though, warned that the plant would still be a significant polluter in an area long besieged by industrial emissions and wastes.  Lisa Lincoln of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network contended that it would be one of the state's largest emitters of mercury if built. She said regulators need to limit the types of waste the plant could burn to safeguard the community, and impose tighter pollution limits.  

Kimberly Wilson of the Environmental Integrity Project noted that the plant would be near two schools in an area "already overburdened" with industrial pollution and hazardous waste dumping, and with one of the state's highest death rates for chronic respiratory disease.  She also warned that the plant would run afoul of permitting and enforcement requirements in the federal Clean Air Act if approved by the PSC.

But Andy Dize, president of the Community of Curtis Bay Association, said residents were not as concerned with air pollution as they were with getting jobs in a community struggling with crime and poverty.

"Air pollution used to be a big issue decades ago," said Dize.  But with the gradual closure of factories in the area over the years, emissions have declined.  Community leaders have been talking with Energy Answers for nearly two years, he said, and are confident that the plant can be operated with proper oversight from the state so that pollution will not be a problem.  "Energy Answers provides a bright spot for the community," he said.

Carol Eshelman, executive director of the Brooklyn & Curtis Bay Coalition, said pollution levels in the community had dropped signficantly since Constellation Energy's Brandon Shores power plant across the city line in Anne Arundel County installed scrubbers last winter.  Meanwhile, she noted, 40 percent of the community's residents are either unemployed or underemployed.

Two legislators representing the area, state Sen. George Della and Del. Brian McHale, also endorsed the project.

Della said he understands the concerns of environmentalists, but wondered where they were a decade or more ago when residents were pressing to curb industrial pollution.   He said it would be up to the PSC to decide if the plant meets federal pollution laws, but urged state regulators not to "shoot it down."  

"It's not too many good things come their way,'' he said of the struggling community, adding that "there are too darn many people in this community, in this city, who don't even have unemployment benefits."

Nick Hundt, a member of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 193, said he and his union members have helped build and operate many industrial facilities. This one, he said, would feature "state of the art" pollution controls, unlike many existing power plants in the area.

"The back end of this thing will be so clean it'll be like a park," he contended.

The plant, which would be financed in part by up to $300 million in federal economic stimulus funds, would reduce the amount of waste going into landfills or incinerators, company officials say.  Talks are under way with local governments in the region to secure contracts for waste, officials say.  The municipal waste would be shredded at one or more processing facilities to be determined before being trucked to the power plant.  The ash from the burning would be used to create aggregate building material, officials say.

Environmentalists, though, counter that the plant would undermine recycling efforts in the region by providing local governments a financial incentive to supply the facility with trash.

The PSC docket # for the case is 9199.  For more, go here.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

After dodging Baltimore's launch last year of "one plus one" recycling and trash pickup, Mount Vernon is finally getting its turn.

Starting Tuesday, Aug. 3, the city will be picking up recyclables in the area on Tuesday evenings only, and trash only on Friday evenings.  Until now, the downtown district had been the last neighborhood in the city to keep getting both trash and recycling pickup twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Though confusing and unpopular to some, One plus one has saved the city money on pickups, while also reducing the volume of waste that must be burned or landfilled.

Pickups will begin at 6 p.m. each day, so residents need to put their cans out before then.  Residents are allowed to put out an unlimited amount of recyclables, but their trash is capped at 96 gallons weekly.

As elsewhere in the city, trash must be put out in cans with tight-fitting lids.  Recycling can be set out in paper bags, cardboard boxes or some other container, as long as it's marked "recycling."  Recyclables in plastic bags will not get picked up.

Boundaries of the zone include Pratt Street, the Jones Falls Expressway, Preston Street and Dolphin, Harlem, Schroeder and Franlkin streetrs.  For more info, call 311 or go to www.baltimorecity.gov and enter address on imap to see pickup schedule.

(2009 Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

As if the Gulf of Mexico doesn't have enough problems right now, scientists are predicting that a larger-than-average "dead zone" will form there this summer.  The Chesapeake Bay, meanwhile, appears to be in line for one of its smallest areas of oxygen-starved water - though that doesn't necessarily mean it's well on the road to restoration.

In the northern Gulf, University of Michigan aquatic ecologists Donald Scavia and Mary Anne Evans forecast that there'll be from 6,500 to 7,800 square miles of hypoxic or oxygen-poor water - an area roughly the size of Lake Ontario (or New Jersey, if a closer example helps you picture its scale).  Shown above is the 2009 dead zone.  Scavia's best estimate is the zone this year will be around 6,564 miles - on the low side of the range of possibilities, but still the 10th largest on record.

Researchers say it's too soon to tell what impact the Deepwater Horizon blowout will have on the dead zone.

"We're not certain how this will play out," Scavia said in a release. If enough oil gets in the waters normally subject to low oxygen, or hypoxia, the dead zone could be larger, as microbes in the water break down the oil, consuming that much more oxygen in the water in the process.  But the oil might also limit the size of the dead zone, Scavia suggested, by stunting the growth of algae blooms that starve the water of oxygen when they die and decay.

Either way, the combination of a larger-than-normal dead zone and toxic oil are likely a "one-two punch" for the Gulf's fish and shellfish, which sustain a $659 million fishery, said Scavia, whose work is underwritten by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Chesapeake, meanwhile, is likely to have the sixth smallest low-oxygen zone in 25 years, Scavia predicts.  He forecasts the volume of water with less than 2 milligrams oxygen per liter will be 5.7 cubic kilometers, which would be below average for recent years and a little smaller than last year's.

Bay scientists parse the Chesapeake's dead zone into low-oxygen, or hypoxic, water and anoxic, or oxygen-deprived, water. They're predicting that really dead anoxic zone will be the fifth smallest in the past quarter-century.

Though heavy rains and snow melt last winter and early spring sent big pulses of nutrient-laden water into the Susquehanna River and the bay, flows in other months have been below-normal, leading to the milder dead zone prediction.  The zone this summer could actually look a lot like the one mapped in 1988, as seen below, scientists say.

A smaller dead zone would definitely be an encouraging development for the bay.  But senior scientist Denise Breitburg of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center cautions that doesn't necessarily mean the Chesapeake's beleagured fisheries will automatically rebound.  Habitat loss, fishery pressure and competition from other species, among other things, also play a role.

(Gulf dead zone map: NOAA, Louisiana University Marine Constortium.  Chesapeake map: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Some of Baltimore and Washington's boys of summer are taking a swing at saving the Chesapeake Bay.

MASN, the television network that broadcasts Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals baseball games, announced today (6/25) that it is launching a “Go to Bat for the Bay” public service campaign with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Among the players featured in the spots are Orioles outfielder Adam Jones and pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, who tells viewers, "“A cleaner bay means better seafood and more jobs for those who bring the Chesapeake's bounty to our dinner tables.”

In another spot seen above, the Nats' Adam Dunn touts recycling oyster shells in addition to paper and plastic.

The spots will be aired on MASN, whose seven-state broadcast territory overlaps with the six-state bay watershed. About 175,000 viewers tune in when Orioles and Nationals games are on.

Foundation president Will Baker says the public-service ads "help CBF enhance awareness and educate millions of sports fans who live in the Chesapeake region."

Here's hoping the players have better luck pitching bay preservation than they've had lately in their regular jobs. For more, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, News
        

The politicos are flocking to an Obama administration "listening session" in Annapolis this afternoon (6/25) on how to improve land and water conservation and strengthen Americans' connections with nature.  Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin and Gov. Martin O'Malley plan to be on hand for the four-hour gabfest - or at least to kick it off.

The pair are expected to join Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and other federal environmental officials to discuss ways government and private entities can enhance conservation and outdoors activities.  The session is the second in a nationwide series planned as part of "America's Great Outdoors" initiative, an Obama administration push begun last year. 

This one, though, is expected to focus on the Chesapeake Bay region, where the Obama administration's recently unveiled bay strategy includes a pledge to conserve 2 million more acres of land in the six-state watershed and add 300 more points of public access to the bay and its tributaries, a 40 percent increase.

The session will be at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase Street, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  It's open to the public, so feel free to go listen and share your thoughts.

(Brown pelicans at Smith Island, 2004 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Environmental activists plan to link up -  literally, by joining hands - in protests against offshore oil drilling Saturday in Annapolis, Ocean City, Salisbury and Deal Island.

The "Hands Across the Sand" demonstrations are among hundreds being organized in the US and abroad to pressure elected officials against any expansion of offshore drilling and to promote "clean" energy and renewables.   In the U.S., nearly 700 rallies have been called in all 50 states. 

Protesters gathered on or near a shoreline plan to join hands for 15 minutes around noon - except for one protest set at 3:30 p.m. at Annapolis City Dock - and form lines, in that way symbolically "drawing a line in the sand" against oil and for alternative energy.  This type of protest against offshore drilling began in Florida earlier this year, even before the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blowout in April, according to organizers.

For info on the Maryland demonstrations, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Need a creative way to cool down? Join local mosaic artist Cinder Hypki for Art in the Garden Happy Hour at Baltimore Contained, tonight from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Baltimore Contained, which specializes in urban gardening, offers local, organic products to supply indoor and outdoor gardeners with as little or as much as they need to create a sustainable green space – be it on a deck, a balcony or in a backyard.

Cinder’s mosaics will be on display as an example of how art can be incorporated into a garden and enhance your outdoor living space. If you can’t make it tonight, the exhibit will open again tomorrow morning from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

If you do attend, you will most likely be inspired to create your own mosaics, in which case you should consider signing up for Cinder’s upcoming two-part workshop, hosted in her studio on July 17th and July 25th, where she’ll teach participants how to create handcrafted stepping stones and pots. For more information, visit her website at www.cinderart.com.

Baltimore Contained is located at 2400 Fleet Street. For information and/or directions, visit their website at www.baltimorecontained.com.

Image courtesy of Cinder Hypki.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The state is giving a $1 million jump-start to the fledgling electric-vehicle industry.  The Maryland Energy Administration announced plans today (6/24) to build 65 charging stations in Baltimore and the rest of the state to support a hoped-for influx of battery powered cars and trucks in the near future.

(Update: Read the full story here.)

Using federal economic stimulus funds, the MEA awarded three grants to install charging stations at parking garages in Baltimore and at other sites around the state, particularly along Interstate 95.  Funds also will go to wiring truck stops in Baltimore, Elkton and Jessup so truckers won't have to idle their vehicles as much.

With GM's Volt, Nissan's Leaf and other electric vehicles expected on the market in coming months, state officials say today's grants are meant to begin developing the network of charging stations that will be needed to support the new technology.

"With the average Marylander driving less than 40 miles per day, electric vehicles will offer meaningful solutions to saving money and protecting our environment," state energy administrator Malcolm Woolf said in a press release announcing the grants. (In good political protocol, especially for an election year, the release from MEA credited Woolf's boss, Gov. Martin O'Malley with making the announcement.)

The grants are part of a boost the state is trying to give to the EV industry.  The General Assembly this year approved a tax credit for buying a battery-powered car or truck, and authorized them to use express commuter lanes otherwise reserved for high-occupancy vehicles.   

About half of the $1 million will go to Shore Power to install "truck-stop electrification stations," essentially wiring travel plazas so truckers can run their air-conditioning, watch TV or browse the Internet while stopped without having to idle their diesel engines.

Baltimore city and Baltimore Gas & Electric will get $134.500 to install between 9 and 16 charging stations in parking garages around town.

Another $367,500 goes to the Baltimore Electric Vehicle Inititative - the same folks who stationed electric "alt-cars" for ride-sharing at the Maryland Science Center last year (shown at right).  That group is to put another 55 charging stations at various sites around the state, including in Cecil, Harford, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Montgomery, Charles and Frederick counties.

(EV charging station at 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Bloomberg photo; 2009 'Alt-car' debut at Inner Harbor, Baltimore Sun photo by Barbara Haddock)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

As oil washes up on Florida beaches, Maryland's congressional delegation is to get an update today (6/24) on how likely it is any of the Gulf spill will reach the Chesapeake Bay or state beaches, The Sun's Paul West reports in the Maryland Politics blog.

The briefing, featuring two former Maryland officials now in the Obama administration, also could cover what's being done to ensure the safety of Gulf seafood that gets sold in the state.

Experts have been saying for weeks it's highly unlikely any oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout off Louisiana will make it this far up the East Coast, much less into the Chesapeake. Any that makes it into the Gulf Stream at the southern tip of Florida is likely to be carried out into the Atlantic off North Carolina, oceanographers say.

Among the federal briefers, West reports, will be Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (former MD deputy secretary of natural resources) and Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, former Baltimore city health commissioenr who's now principal deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.  Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., who heads a subcommittee overseeing their agencies' budgets, invited them to speak.

(Workers clean  oil washed onto Pensacola Fla beach Wednesday, AP photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Fewer Maryland lawmakers earned perfect grades from environmental activists for their votes in Annapolis this year - an erosion of support that green group leaders attributed to the poor economy and budget crisis.

Just one state senator and 44 delegates earned spotless grades on this year's environmental scorecard released today by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. That's down from 11 senators and 57 House members with perfect scores in 2009. 

 But for the first time in 16 years, a Republican - Del. Steven R. Schuh of northern Anne Arundel County - managed a 100 percent score. 

"Everyone knows it was a tough year fiscally," Cindy Schwartz, the league's executive director, said in a statement. "We were realistic about the amount of progress we could make this year.   However, in tough times, we need to be more vigilant about the resources that make up the basis of our economy. 

"Good environmental policy is good fiscal policy," Schwartz contended, adding that the scorecard shows which legislators made that connection and which did not.

The 90-day session was a turbulent one for green activists, with the Senate voting to delay creation of oyster sanctuaries in the Chesapeake Bay and mulling major budget cuts to environmental programs like Program Open Space.   The sanctuary delay died in the House, and the General Assembly wound up preserving remaining funds for parkland acquisition and approving $22.5 million for the bay trust fund earmarked to combat polluted runoff.

"Unfortunately, for most of the 2010 legislative session, legislators seemed to push environmental priorities to the back burner,'' said Brad Heavner, state director for Environment Maryland, which helped rate the lawmakers. 

Unmentioned in the green groups' release was the House approval of a bill delaying and weakening some provisions of a 2007 law tightening controls on storm-water pollution from development.   The measure split the environmental community, with the league favoring it over the possibility of a more sweeping rollback.  But the bill died in the Senate after a joint legislative committee approved emergency regulations to the same effect put forward by the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Activists said House members have consistently voted greener than their Senate counterparts, and the split seemed to grow this year.  Sen. Paul G. Pinsky, a Prince George's County Democrat, was the lone senator to earn 100 percent on this year's scorecard. 

Eleven senators and four House members scored 30 percent or lower on the groups' report card, all of them Republicans.  But the league held out the top score of Schuh (pictured at left) as evidence that environmental awareness crosses party lines.  He was among the incumbent legislators the league endorsed for reelection earlier this month.

Pinsky and Schuh were invited to join the league at Annapolis City Dock this morning when the group released its 2010 legislators' scorecard.

The last time Republican legislators got perfect green grades from activists was in 1994.  They were Dels. Wade Kach of Baltimore County and Martin Madden of Howard County, who's no longer in the General Assembly. 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

With the city back from the brink of a green fiscal meltdown, its planners are quietly trying to revolutionize how Baltimore grows.

In the first rewrite of the city's zoning code since 1971, planners hope to "transform Baltimore" from a car-centric concrete desert to an oasis of walkability, with shops, eateries and even some types of industry mixed in with housing.

Laurie Feinberg, chief of comprehensive planning, says the new code aims "to make our neighborhoods feel like places you want to walk to" without having to trek across blazing-hot parking lots. The city's in the final week of holding public meetings on the new code - so this is almost your last chance to learn about it and weigh in.

My colleague Julie Scharper has previously reported in The Baltimore Sun how how the new code would make it easier to have community gardens in the city. But the changes go beyond just greening the urban landscape, Feinberg says, to broader issues of sustainability and of "smart growth."

I contacted Feinberg last week to find out how the new code would handle some hot-button "green" issues that have been controversial in the past year - residential wind turbines, solar collectors and wood-chip driveways or parking pads. She preferred to give me the big picture, but answered the thorny questions as well. 

First, the big picture:  Besides recognizing community gardens and urban farming as activities gaining currency in Baltimore and other cities, the new zoning code proposes to create new industrial areas, new transit-oriented development districts and new development rules for college campuses and hospitals.  Living near or even over your workspace will be encouraged in some areas. Vehicle parking will be de-emphasized, bicycle parking beefed up.

The overarching goal is to make Baltimore more walkable and sustainable, with greater "social equity" for its residents, improved prosperity and a cleaner urban environment. 

As for the hot-button issues, the new code aims to make it easier to put a wind turbine in your yard or on your roof, while specifying how high it can be, So even though urban skylines are not conducive to wind turbines, those who really want to catch the breezes can do so now, within limits.  Likewise for solar panels, which under the new code would be treated much like rooftop decks.

No such luck for Maxine Taylor, the Butcher's Hill artist whose quixotic bid to keep her wood-chip parking pad I reported earlier this year.  The new code still says vehicles must be parked on a dustless surface, but allows how porous or permeable pavers can be used in tire-width strips instead of asphalt or concrete slabs. 

But wood chips are still verboten, Feinberg says.  Never mind they're permitted and even encouraged in other places, the planner says they're out in Baltimore because they can be washed into storm drains by rainfall, thus adding to the Baltimore harbor's nutrient pollution.

The city has had three public meetings on the new code and plans two more before the month is out.  The next one is Tuesday, June 22, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Morgan State University's University Center, Student Center Room 212.  The final one is June 29, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and the city planning department, 417 E. Fayette St. 8th floor.

To learn more about the code, and to submit comments online, go here.

As a bonus, you can hear Feinberg explaining the zoning code on WYPR's Mid-Day talk show with Dan Rodricks.  The podcast, which you can listen to here, also features a discussion with the city's "food czar" Holly Freishtat.

(Photos of Real Food Farm, by Baltimore Sun's Barbara Haddock Taylor;  of green & solar roofs on housing in Curtis Bay, and of Maxine Taylor in her wood-chip parking area, by Baltimore Sun's Amy Davis) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders are slated to gather Tuesday in Baltimore to commit themselves to working toward a cleaner Chesapeake Bay and a greener Earth.

"We envision a time when faith communities throughout the Chesapeake region will have a deep appreciation of the sanctity of Earth," reads the website for Chesapaeke Covenant Community. "....Their children will be taught to love and cherish natural things ..  Their houses of worship will be models of energy efficiency. People of faith will protect the waters from pollution and seek ways to live with God's Creation."

The "Covenanting for Creation" is being hosted by the Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, who has emphasized "healing of the environment" since his consecration in 2008.  The ceremony is from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Bolton Street Synagogue, 212 W. Cold Spring Lane - on the banks of Stony Run.

To learn more or follow this effort, go here.

(2009 Baltimore Sun photo of Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, by Barbara Haddock Taylor)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Events, Going Green
        

When the mercury climbs above 90 degrees on sticky, sun-drenched days, it's more than the heat and humidity you need to watch out for. Ozone, also known as smog, forms as vehicle exhaust, power plant emissions and other pollution bake in the lower atmosphere.

The Baltimore area is under a Code Orange air-quality alert today, meaning children and adults with breathing or heart ailments shouldn't spend much time outdoors.

This is not to be confused with the Code Red heat alert issued Sunday by the city Health Department, which opens air-conditioned "cooling" centers around town when the temperature gets above 90 degrees.

The B'more area has had five Code Orange days so far this year, thanks to hot spells in April and May. But that's half of what we had in 2009, when we also had one Code Red day - where air quality gets so bad even healthy people are advised to stay indoors or limit strenuous outdoor activities. The year before, 2008, was even worse, with 21 Code Orange days and 4 Code Red days.

While weather plays a big role in summer smog, laws and regulations cranking down on vehicle and power plant emissions appear to be having an effect, officials say, by removing the ingredients needed to make our air hard to breathe.

To see where the smog is and how bad it's been - or going to be - check out the Clean Air Partners website. You can sign up there for air-quality alerts. Also, for those who want to know more, I recommend "The Smog Blog," a daily diary of air quality in the US put together by atmospheric researchers at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.  The map below, just one of the graphics on the website, depicts hourly ozone readings nationwide.

(2002 Baltimore Sun photo by Nanine Hartzenbusch; map Courtesy AIRNOW (EPA/Sonoma Technology Inc.) through the US Air Quality Smog Blog) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Obama administration officials are slated to come to Annapolis Friday to hear from the public on how to promote conservation and stewardship of the nation's lands and waters.

It's another in a series of "listening sessions" the administration is holding around the country on its "Great Outdoors Initiative," which aims to hear from Americans on how to protect those treasured places they love and how to work cooperatively to reconnect people to nature. 

The event will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase Street in Annapolis. Senior officials from the U.S. Interior and Agriculture departments (Ken Salazar taking a break from keeping his boot on BP's neck?) the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality are scheduled to be there. 

Among those planning to give them an earful will be advocates for increasing public access to the Chesapeake Bay, and for preserving more of its special places.  For more on the Chesapeake Gateways network, go here.  For more from from conservation activists, go here.

(2007 Baltimore Sun photo, kayaking on the Eastern Shore, by Lloyd Fox)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

For a different way to spend a summer Sunday - or something to do while waiting for the Ocean City traffic to clear - how about a leisurely tour of the scenic farms, parks, preserves and historic homes of the Eastern Shore?

The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy - celebrating its 20th anniversary this year - kicks off its summer tour series this Sunday (June 20) by providing directions to some choice spots in Talbot County - including ones rarely if ever open to the public. Don't know if the itinerary takes you to picturesque Neavitt (harbor seen at left), but there's a mix of historic homes and at least one park, all preserved through the conservancy's work.

"It’s a great opportunity to look past all of the development on the Eastern Shore and appreciate the rural areas that are thriving,” Rob Etgen, ESLC Executive Director, says on the group's website.

It's also a bit of a fund-raiser. The $25 ticket price covers all five tours, though, which are offered through the summer and into the fall.  Sites to be visited are open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Tours are self-guided, and tickets must be purchased before maps and directions are provided. To join the tour this Sunday, contact Jennifer Pollard at 443-480-0282. For later tours of Cecil, Queen Annes and Caroline, Dorchester and Kent counties, reach her at 410-827-9756 ext. 155 or go here.

(2007 Baltimore Sun photo, Neavitt MD by Barbara Haddock Taylor) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Chesapeake Bay isn't the only estuary in trouble. Its smaller neighbor, Delaware Bay, has its share of woes, too, spelled out in a new report issued today.

Though the states of Delaware and New Jersey have made some strides in reducing sediment and nutrient pollution, waters in every part of the 13,600-square-mile Delaware drainage basin are impaired, tainted in many cases with toxic arsenic, dioxins, mercury, PCBs and chlorinated pesticides.  State and local governments have failed to act on some of the most toxic contaminants, the report says, and both states are losing forests and wetlands at an alarming rate.

Environmental advocates describe the Delaware Bayshore as a "national gem," with the world's largest population of spawning horseshoe crabs and a major stopover for migrating shorebirds.  Doug O'Malley, field director for Environment New Jersey, calls it "an oasis of beauty and open space in one of hte most densely populated areas of the United States."  It's also worth noting, with the Gulf of Mexico disaster, that Delaware Bay is the conduit for 70 percent the oil shipped to the East Coast.

"We have made progress," O'Malley said, "but too many waterways are still polluted, and cleanup plans, if htey exist, haven't been up to the job."

Sounds all too familiar.  To read the report, go here.

(2007 Baltimore Sun photos of Slaughter Beach by Glenn Fawcett) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Want to learn about living a more sustainable lifestyle? The Chesapeake Green Living Festival is headed to the Anne Arundel Fairground in Crownsville June 19 and 20 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ($8 for adults, $5 for seniors and kids) 

It's the first year for this regionlly focused consumer show. There will be exhibitors, how-to demonstrations and presentations that aims to focus on local environmental issues, businesses and non-profits from this area.

Expect to learn about renewable energy, green building, home products, gardening, bay restoration and community action, stormwater control, fishing, health and wellness, beauty and fashion, food, organic beer and wine, tourism, arts and crafts, books, recreation and socially responsible investing.

Organizers from City Dock Productions and Annapolis Green promise activities for kids, as well as food and drinks, will be available. And they hope to feed a marketplace for green commerce.

For more information, go to chesapeakegreenlivingfestival.com.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events
        

Donald F. Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and a Louisiana native, has been called upon by President Barack Obama to suggest how to avoid another oil-spill disaster like the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.

Boesch was one of five panelists tapped by the White House for its oil spill commission, which is to be headed by former Florida governor and U.S. senator Bob Graham and former Environmental Protection Agency administrator William K. Reilly.

Head of the UM environmental labs since 1990, Boesch has studied coastal ecosystems around the world, and has researched the long-term impacts of offshore oil and gas development.  He came to Maryland from Louisana State University, where he was a professor of marine science and the first executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.  He's also chairman of the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council and a member of the National Academies of Science Committee on America's Climate Choices.

Boesch's selection drew praise from Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md, who called him "one of our nation's most prominent biological oceanographers."  A Wall Street Journal blog, though, characterized him as one of at least two commission members with "an environmental bent" and speculated on whether the oil industry felt the panel was "tipped against them."

Others named to the panel were Frances G. Beinecke, president of the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council; Terry D. Garcia, a vice president for the National Geographic Society and former deputy administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Cherry Murray, dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Fran Ulmer, chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage. 

Obama created the panel by executive order in May and tasked it with recommending changes in federal laws, regulations, industry practices and government agencies to minimize the risk of future catastrophic offshore spills.  It has six months to submit its report.

(2008 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

SunChips says it doesn't want to contibute to the trash problem, though it make all those bags for its snacks.

So, they say they've made the bags compostable.

The bags are made from plants. And the company says a 10.5 oz. bag is designed to fully break down in 14 weeks when it's put in a "hot, active compost bin or pile." Though, it could take a little longer.

Would this influence you to buy from this company? Think the Frito Lay should put all their chips in compostable bags? Would you buy this snack over chips because the bag is compostable?

The company said they did tests to ensure the bags actually composted. I wonder if they would pass the Baltimore test: Would they degrade after being tossed into the Inner Harbor?  

Baltimore Sun photo/Sarah Kelber

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Products
        

Is Perdue's chicken manure recycling operation a fig leaf for the mountains of poultry waste its birds leave behind for the company's contract growers to take care of?

Or is it a start to toward dealing with the farm runoff on the Eastern Shore that is contributing to the Chesapeake Bay's woes?

A story I wrote for The Baltimore Sun about Perdue's manure recycling sidelight carried those opposing views.  The fig leaf charge, in so many words, came from an environmentalist suing the nation's third largest poultry company, trying to hold it legally responsible for water pollution the group claims came from a farm raising Cornish game hens under contract for Perdue.

The "it's a start" came from a farm pollution expert at the University of Maryland, who said it's a help but more will be needed. 

Some readers had a hard time understanding or dealing with the story.  A few questioned some of the facts, or the company's claim its fertilizer pellets are organic.  One reader didn't like the headline.  Just to recap: 

In nine years of operation, according to company officials, Perdue AgriRecycle has taken in 682,402 tons of "litter," a mixture of wood shavings and manure that is periodically cleaned out of chicken houses.  Up to a third of that gets sold "raw" to farmers who want to use it for fertilizer on their crops.  The company's "Micronutrient Facility," as the sign in front of the litter processing plant near Seaford, Del., reads, produces about 50,000 tons of pellets a year. 

About half get shipped to customers out of the six-state bay watershed.  So at least some of the nutrients in the manure are removed from any possibility of polluting the bay's waters.   And even those pellets sold inside the bay region may be less problematic for water quality, if they're used appropriately by homeowners or landscapers, notes Russ Brinsfield, head of the Harry Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology at the University of Maryland.

But the headline on the story may have called out for a qualification.  Fifty thousand tons of pellets a year pales when stacked up against the 600,000 to 800,000 tons of manure estimated to be produced annually by poultry raised on the Delmarva Peninsula - with half of it generated in Maryland, by experts' reckoning. 

That's why Kathy Phillips, the Assateague Coastkeeper, considers the litter recycling plant little more than "nice feel-good PR" for Perdue.  She wants the company to take responsibility for all the manure its birds generate while being raised under contract with growers across the Shore.

"The manure that it is handling and getting off the Shore is a good thing," she said, "and the rest of it is just a nice place to take the media to show they are trying to do the right thing." 

The company's AgriRecycle operation offers to clean out any grower's chicken house and haul away the waste for free.  Only about a fifth of Perdue's growers take the company up on that offer, though some who raise poultry for other companies use the service as well. 

But the company says it's had a hard time until recently finding profitable markets for the pellets, and that Shore farmers are reluctant to give up their manure because it's valuable as fertilizer.  With the market for its pellets still somewhat limited, Perdue's not willing to start paying farmers for their litter, it seems.  And farmers are unlikely to change as long as environmental regulations permit them to fertlize with poultry manure that may contain more phosphorus than their crops can use.

But those conditions may change in the not too distant future, as federal and state officials try to crank down on all sources of nutrient pollution fouling the bay.  Cutbacks in how much, where or even whether animal manure can be used to fertilize crops could prompt more farmers to want to get rid of it as inexpensively as possible.  And if alternate uses for the litter gain in popularity -- as organic fertilier or as fuel for a biomass power plant, say -- then farmers may have some more lucrative options.

Meanwhile, to those who wonder how Perdue can claim to be engaged in organic agriculture, I can understand how jarring it may seem to have one of the nation's top poultry producers wrapping itself in a mantle some envision only mom-and-pop farms should enjoy.  I wondered about that, too.  Given the questions that raised, I should have addressed it in the article.

Perdue's litter pellets have been certified organic by an independent outfit based in Oregon, the Organic Materials Review Institute. The company says it has stopped using Roxarsone, a chicken feed additive containing arsenic.  And it also says it doesn't use hormones, steroids or antibiotics to promote growth, though its website does note that young chicks are vaccinated against disease.

I realize that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's organic standards are controversial in some food circles, but that's the basis for the company's claim.

For what it's worth, company chairman Jim Perdue rejects suggestions his company is engaged in "factory farming."  He points to the "farm families" who raise his company's chickens under contract.  And he says the reason his company has gotten a foothold in the small but growing organic farming world is because it's able to produce a reliable supply of its pellets.

"The number one thing for any organic business is to have a steady supply of material," he said. "Most producers are small and unreliable ... We made this operation the size it is to be a reliable supplier."

(Baltimore Sun photos by Karl Merton Ferron)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 3:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Sunday brings a major two-fer: the annual swim across the Chesapeake Bay, and the 23rd annual wade-in on the Patuxent River.

The "Great Chesapeake Bay Swim," as it's known, begins at 8 a.m. Sunday from Sandy Point State Park. Waves of swimmers - 600 in all - stroke 4.4 miles across the bay to the beach by Hemingway's Marina on the Eastern Shore.

The event began in the early 1980s and attracts swimmers from across the country. Proceeds raised from the event benefit the March of Dimes. It's too late to get in on the swim, but you can watch - though parking is limited, so plan on car-pooling or arriving early. For more, go here.

There's no pre-registration required for the Patuxent River Wade-In, another bay event with a long history.  Bernie Fowler, then a state senator representing Calvert County, began wading into the river on a June Sunday 23 years ago to demonstrate concern for cleaning up the river - the only bay tributary entirely in Maryland. 

Fowler and friends (which is basically anyone who shows up) join hands and walk out into the water until they can't see their feet anymore - a rustic version of the Secchi disk test of water clarity that scientists use.  Bernie recalls that in the '50s he could wade out into the river up to his chin and still see his toes as he netted crabs.  Visibility has gone from less than a foot when he started his wade-ins in the late '80s to nearly four feet in 1997, but has slid back to a little more than two feet of late.

Bernie, a record-setting runner at 86, says he still hopes to live long enough to see his toes in chin-deep water.  Another lion of the bay, though, and one of his frequent partners in the wade-in won't be there this time.  Tom Wisner, known to many as "the bard of the Chesapeake" (seen next to Bernie in the 1992 photo) died earlier this year of cancer.

The wade-in begins at 1 p.m. at King's Reach in the Jefferson Patterson Park, 10515 Mackall Road, St. Leonard's.  That's a bit south of Prince Frederick.  For more info, go here.

Whether you want to swim, wade or just watch, they're both great events that celebrate the richness of the waters that define our state.

(Baltimore Sun photos: 2008 bay swim, by Amy Davis; 1992 wade-in, by George Holsey)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Environmentalists are stepping up their efforts to bring public pressure on Congress to pass sweeping new Chesapeake Bay cleanup legislation.

The Choose Clean Water Coalition, representing more than 130 groups across the six-state bay watershed, this week launched a new online campaign, "Restoring Our Waters."  It's aimed at rallyilng  support nationwide among outdoors enthusiasts, vacationers and others for the Chesapeake Clean Water Act (S.1816), introduced by Sen. Benjamin Cardin, a Maryland Democrat.

The bill, expected to come up for a markup in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee later this month, would strengthen the federal government's legal authority to tackle polluted runoff and authorize up to $1.5 billion to help pay for it.  It has the enthusiastic backing of environmental groups, who say it's needed because polluted runoff from farms and developed land is the major source of the bay's water-quality woes.  But farming and development groups oppose it, fearing it could lead to expanded federal regulation nationwide.

Activists are hoping to capitalize on heightened public concern about water pollution in the wake of the masive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Though not as dramatic as an oil spill, campaign manager Peter Johnson notes that "nutrients have been pouring into the Chesapeake, its rivers and streams for decades now.  Its effects are more subtle thant the startling images of oil soaked birds and wildlife; yet nitrogen and other pollutants strange the very life-blood out of the Chesapeake and the economy of the region."

(U.S. Capitol dome in summer, AP photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The number of people who believe global warming is a problem is ticking back up, according to a set of recent polls.

This news comes as the Senate voted down a measure by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, to block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases from power plants and other polluters under the Clean Air Act.

The rules will now go into effect in January, and some observers say is an indication of how energy legislation may tip.

As for the polls, one from the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University found that three out of four Americans believe that the Earth is gradually warming from human activity and want the government to do something about it.

Funding came from the National Science Foundation, and results were based on telephone interviews conducted from June 1-7 with 1,000 randomly selected American adults.

"Several national surveys released during the last eight months have been interpreted as showing that fewer and fewer Americans believe that climate change is real, human-caused and threatening to people," Krosnick said. "But our new survey shows just the opposite."

About three quarters said the Earth's temperature probably had been heating up over the last 100 years, and 75 percent said that human behavior was substantially responsible for any warming that has occurred. The poll has been taken for the last four years and the decline in people who believe global warming has been happening is dropping, researchers said.

Skeptics who don't trust scientists often cite the weather -- 2008 was the coldest year since 2000 -- but researchers say year to year fluctuations are "uninformative." Other point to "climategate," where in late 2009 hacked emails from climate scientists at the University of East Anglia in Britain showed some appeared to be colluding to silence unconvinced colleagues. But trust in the scientists also appears to have remained high, with almost three-quarters trusting them, researchers said.

A second poll from Yale and George Mason universities showed public concern about global warming is again on the rise.  
 
The number of people who believe global warming is happening has risen 4 points since January, to 61 percent. The number who believe that it's mostly caused by human activity rose by 3 points, to 50 percent.

The number who worry about global warming rose three points, to 53 percent. And the number of Americans who said that the issue is personally important to them rose five points, to 63 percent.
 
“The stabilization and slight rebound in public opinion is occurring amid signs the economy is starting to recover, along with consumer confidence, and as memories of unusual snowstorms and scientific scandals recede,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, said in a statement.

“The BP oil disaster is also reminding the public of the dark side of dependence on fossil fuels, which may be increasing support for clean energy policies,” he said.
 
The number of Americans who said President Obama and Congress should place a higher priority on developing sources of clean energy increased 11 points, to 71 percent.

There was also more public support for regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant (77 percent, up by 6 since January); funding more research into renewable energy sources (87 percent, up by 2); offering tax rebates for people who buy fuel-efficient vehicles and solar panels (83 percent, up by 1); signing an international treaty that requires the United States to cut its emissions of carbon dioxide 90 percent by the year 2050 (65 percent, up by 4); requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources, even if it cost the average household an extra $100 per year (61 percent, up by 2); and expanding offshore drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast fell (62 percent, down by 5).

This poll surveyed 1,024 American adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percent. It was conducted from May 14, 2009 to June 1, 2010 by Knowledge Networks, using an online research panel of American adults.     

NASA handout photo of the globe via AFP/Getty 

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Climate change
        

Acidity levels in some parts of the Chesapeake Bay are increasing faster than in the ocean, scientists have found, and that could spell trouble for rebuilding oyster populations in those areas.

Looking at 23 years of water quality readings, researchers found acidity levels increasing in the saltier waters of the bay, while decreasing in the fresher portions. The study, conducted at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, appears in the online journal Estuaries and Coasts.

Acidity levels have been rising in the oceans, which scientists have attributed to increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. But the study's authors suggest increasing the acidity levels are a byproduct of the decomposition of algae blooms in the upper Bay - blooms that are fed by an influx of nutrients from sewage treatment plants, farm runoff and other sources.

Laboratory studies show that acidity levels akin to what are being measured in some parts of the bay can lead to thinner shells for oysters, making them more vulnerable to crabs and other predators.

"With oyster populations at historically low levels, increasingly acidic waters are yet another stressor limiting the recover of the bay's oyster populations," marine biologist Roger Newell said in a news release about the study.

George Waldbusser of Oregon State University, the study's lead author, said lower acidity in some bay rivers that once supported large oyster populations could help them come back. But increasing acidity levels in other areas may exacerbate their recovery from disease, habitat loss and historic overfishing.

For more on the study, go here.

(Oysters at Horn Point Laboratory, 2006 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Chesapeake Bay, Climate change, News
        

We've all seen the images of the spreading oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico, but it's hard to grasp how big it is. 

To put it in perspective, I've superimposed the slick on the Chesapeake Bay, showing that it would cover virtually the entire estuary, almost all of the Delmarva Peninsula and reach inland to Charlottesville and Richmond in Virginia.

Moving it west just a bit would oil Washington, too - which might seem only just to those who think the federal government has been slow to respond to the disaster, AWOL on regulating offshore drilling or MIA in passing climate legislation to try weaning the nation from its fossil fuel addiction.

You can bring the Gulf spill home to you with this handy website, If It Was My Home.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Local band Good Guise performs at Hamilton Market.

It's that time of year again! The Hamilton Market is up and running every Tuesday evening from 4-8 pm.

Now in its second year, the market is held between the Safeway parking lot and Zeke's Coffee on Harford Road at Montebello Terrace. It features locally grown food, native plants, local music, and handmade goods including some of the best soap I've ever tried, made locally by Whole Body Care. Don't miss it!

And if you’re interested in becoming a vendor, contact Adam Fisher at tuesdaymarket@hamiltonlauravillemainstreet.org.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Maryland farmers aren't the only ones getting closer scrutiny from the feds these days. It turns out that inspectors from the Environmental Protection Agency have been paying calls on Amish farmers in Lancaster County, PA to impress on them the need to keep manure from their livestock out of the rivers and streams that feed into the Chesapeake Bay.

Lancaster is farming country, and is a leading source of runoff of the nitrogen and phosphorus that produce dead zones in the bay every summer. As The New York Times reports, EPA checked 24 farms in Lancaster last September, 23 of them run by members of the Plain Sect who shun modern technology and can be frequently seen traveling the roads there in horse-drawn buggies.

Seventeen of the farms checked were not handling their manure properly, EPA inspectors found, contaminating their own wells in many cases as well as polluting nearby streams. Farmers were advised to take steps to handle their manure better, and offered help applying for government grants to pay for storage pits and other practices designed to curb runoff.

It's a jarring change for the Amish, who normally want nothing to do with government. But as the story noted, Amish farmers control more than half the farms in Lancaster, so it would be impossible to clean up without them.

More than 500 farms in Maryland applied last year for discharge permits after EPA officials advised that runoff from around their chicken houses and other livestock operations could subject them to enforcement action.  Some farmers in Pennsylvania and Virginia are getting less-gentle reminders from EPA.  The agency announced recently that it had cited an egg-laying farm in Pennsylvania and two farms in that state for allowing nutrients from their animals' manure to wash into nearby streams, which ultimately feed into the Chesapeake.

The Pennsylvania egg-laying farm, with 36,000 hens, also had 80 cows, EPA said, and both operations were discharging to Chickies Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River. 

In Virginia, federal inspectors found large piles of uncovered poultry manure at a Linville farm with 100,000 chickens, and evidence that nutrients from the piles were getting into a stream that feeds into the Shenandoah River, a tributary of the Potomac River.  Inspectors found similar runoff problems at another farm in Timberville with more than 500 cows and nearly 23,000 turkeys.

Both were ordered to stop the discharges, get federal permits for their operations and submit compliance plans for curtailing their pollution.

(AP photo, 1998)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

A trio of Maryland scientists are headed to the Gulf of Mexico this summer to see how the massive oil leak there has affected the northern Gulf's fish and the crittters on which they feed.

The expedition, planned in late August, will be led by Michael Roman, director of the Horn Point Laboratory near Cambridge.  Others from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science will be oceanographer William Boicourt and assistant research scientist James Pierson.

The scientific team will tow a sensing device called a Scanfish (seen above) behind the research vessel to measure temperature, salinity, oxygen and zooplankton, the small animals that make up the base of the marine food web.  They'll also sample the water for oil, and scan the depths for fish.  

Maryland scientists use the same gear routinely to assess water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, which like the Gulf suffers from oxygen-starved dead zones.  The team actually had been sampling the Gulf for the past five years, for a comparison.

“In previous years, we’ve been able to assess the effects of low oxygen bottom waters on the living resources in the northern Gulf of Mexico," Roman said in a news release.  "We hope to shed light on the environmental consequences of the spill by comparing data to those previous research cruises.”

The fate of the Gulf's fish populations are of more than local interest, as the region accounts for 20 percent of all U.S. commercial landings and supports nearly a quarter of all the recreational fishing jobs in the country.  Whether we realize it or not, Marylanders often eat crabs and oysters caught in the Gulf, as well as shrimp and even some finfish.  The shutdown of fisheries there as a precaution against contamination already has had some impact on prices and supply of seafood in the region.

The crew for the expedition, which is underwritten by the National Science Foundation, will include researchers from Oregon State University, Eastern Carolina University and University of Akron.  For more on the cruise, go here.

(Photo of Scanfish being deployed on Chesapeake, courtesy UMCES) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

BP has become a favored target of protests these days, thanks to the mess the oil giant has made in the Gulf of Mexico. But the employees of one socially conscious cosmetics company are trying to wake Americans to the environmental impacts of oil and gas extraction to our north, in Canada.

The staff of LUSH cosmetics plans a "bare-it-all" protest of the Canadian tar sands development at noon today outside its store at Towson Town Center.  The Vancouver-based company markets bath oils, soap and what-not made from organic fruits and vegetables as well as what it calls "safe synthetics."   And it's teamed up with various environmental groups to raise awareness about the amount of fossil fuel the United States imports from the tar sands and the toll it's taking on water quality and the boreal forest there.

In a stunt reminiscent of anti-fur protesters, the local LUSH staff plans to wear nothing but oil barrels (mockups, I presume) bearing the slogan, "Time for an Oil Change or We'll Lose It All."   If they're outdoors today, they're likely to get a shower in the process, given the rain in the forecast.  But then, oil and water don't mix. 

To learn more about the issue, check out Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent by Andrew Nikiforuk. (Full disclosure: Nikiforuk's book won the Rachel Carson environment book award last year from the Society of Environmental Journalists, of which I am a board member.)

(Photo by Peter Essick, courtesy of LUSH)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Nurses from across the country have gathered in Baltimore this week for their first-ever national conference exploring the connection between human health and the environment.

The newly formed Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments has been holding two days of meetings at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, talking about how to keep toxic substances out of homes, preventing lead poisoning and asthma and dealing with the potential health impacts of climate change.  On Wednesday, there'll be post-conference workshops and a trip for some to Washington to learn about and lobby for environmental health legislation.

The nurses' lunchtime speaker Tuesday is Sandra Steingraber, author of Living Downstream: An Ecologist’s Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment. Others addressing the conference include Barbara Sattler, director of the UM nursing school's environmental health education center.  For more on the conference and speakers, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Today's World Oceans Day, an annual celebration of the water bodies that cover 70 percent of the earth's surface. 

It's hard to enjoy a day "down the ocean," though, when you have to watch out for tar balls on the beach like this little girl has to at Gulf Shores, Alabama.  Never mind what they're doing to fish, oysters, pelicans and other wildlife that frequent the seas and shores.  The spreading oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico are a grim reminder of the oceans' vulnerability to degradation.

Barring some unanticipated shifts in the Gulf current or weather developments, our mid-Atlantic beaches are unlikely to be fouled by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, experts say.  All the more reason to enjoy and cherish what we have in our own backyard.

For example, the annual orgy of horseshoe crabs on Delaware beaches is winding down, but it's not too late to spot a few doing what they've done for eons - crawling out of the surf, laying millions of eggs in the sand and returning to the water.  They aren't as plentiful on Maryland beaches, but there are some hot spots.  Check here to see them. 

The University of Delaware's Bill Hall, who directs a volunteer census of the ancient crittters every spring, reports the horseshoe run this year has been a decent one - producing a bounty of eggs that should help to sustain the crab population while also feeding the migratory shorebirds that stop off on Delaware's beaches on their way to their summer nesting grounds.   It's too late to help out with this year's census, but think about joining the effort early next spring.

If you can't get to the beach today, the National Aquarium in Baltimore has a monthlong series of fun programs and events planned to take a local look at ocean health. For today's kickoff of "Beyond the Boardwalk," the aquarium asks visitors to wear blue in a demonstration of support.

(Photos: Reuters, The Baltimore Sun by Jerry Jackson)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I just saw this on the CNET blog Green Tech, a cell phone charger that works while you're riding your bike.

It's from Nokia and costs $18. You have to ride at least 4 miles per hour for it to work. It's available online and will be in stores by year's end, the blog says. 

It follows Motorola and Dahon in coming out with bike chargers. But Nokia is the world's largest cell phone maker, so this ought to reach a lot more people.

According to the company, the Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit contains a charger, a holder and a dynamo, or a small electric generator that uses the movement of the wheels to charge the handset through the standard 2mm charging jack used in most Nokia phones.

"Bicycles are the most widespread means of transport in many markets around the world, so this is just one more benefit to be gained from an activity people are already doing. This is a great solution to a real challenge, whether people will use it due to limited access to electricity, or to be more environmentally responsible," Nokia says.

Think this could work? Would you have one charger for the house, one for the car and one for the bike?

Photo courtesy of Nokia

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Going Green
        

According to the Downtown Partnership, ZipCar, the car sharing company, is bringing a bunch of cars to the downtown area later this month.  

ZipCar already services the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus area, but decided not to expand -- until now.

The Downtown Partnership said visitors and residents will want to use the service if they have no car and can't get to where they want to go on public transit. And companies can use ZipCar instead of maintaining their own fleet.

With ZipCar, you pay a fee and drive the cars and the company takes care of the maintenance and insurance. They leave cars around town. The downtown group say they're assessing demand to see where to put the cars now.

If you're a downtown business and want to become a ZipCar member, email info@dpob.org. Or go to www.zipcar.com for more information about the service.

Getty Images photo

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: News
        

Saturday is National Trails Day , and in its honor, the Gwynns Falls Trail is getting some new bike racks and a new trail audio tour.

(There are lots of trail day events, if you're looking for one somewhere else in Maryland.)

On the Gwynns Falls, Sen. Ben Cardin will be on hand Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Baltimore Visitors Center, 401 Light St. He'll be joined by officials from the Gwynns Falls Trail Council and Baltimore City Parks & Recreation. 

Donation were used to purchase the bike racks. They will be installed at the Baltimore City Visitors Center, where the Gwynns Falls Trail, the Jones Falls Trail and the Harbor Promenade meet.

The Gwynns Falls trailhead is at the I-70 Park & Ride and generally follows the Gwynns Falls watershed to the Middle Branch the Patapsco River and the Inner Harbor. It's about 30 miles.  

Baltimore Sun file photo from the Gwynns Falls Trail/Algerina Perna

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Parks
        

In collaboration with key partners across the Chesapeake area, Engaged Community Offshoots, Inc. (ECO) will host the Sowing Seeds Here and Now!: A Chesapeake Area Urban Farming Summit on Friday, June 18 at the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.

The Sowing Seeds Here Now and Now! Summit promotes community-based urban farming because it:

* increases food security and the availability of healthy food,
* decreases unemployment by supplying meaningful green jobs,
* anchors vital resources and wealth in local communities, and
* is a key component in promoting public health and creating a sustainable, just, local food system.

The summit gathers innovative practitioners, farmers, scholars, for-profit and not-for-profit leaders, policy makers and agency directors to discuss specific strategies to help move the urban agriculture movement forward throughout the Chesapeake area.

Workshops sessions will include:

1.Urban Farming Hands-on Workshops (3 sessions: Urban Farm Design and Business Plan Basics, Community Composting, High Tunnel Construction)

2.Healthy People and the Environment Focus (3 sessions: Health, Environment, Equity)

3.Policy and Planning for Economic Development (3 sessions: Land Use, Incentives, Policy and Planning)

4.Investing in Social and Environmental Justice (3 sessions: Faith Communities, Youth, Food and Justice)

Successful case studies will be sprinkled throughout each session, blending the theory with on the ground realities and actionable intelligence. All participants will be able to mix and match which sessions they would like to participate within.

ECO is a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to involve people from all walks of life in healthy and sustainable living activities. Their work aims to reverse the effects of systemic poverty, racism, and environmental destruction through establishing and promoting social venture community-based businesses.

Visit the Sowing Seeds website for more information about the summit, including a detailed agenda and a list of speakers.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Events
        

Most gardeners are just starting to see the results of what they planted in the soil earlier this spring. But for waterfront-based oyster gardeners, it's time to harvest the young bivalves they've been raising from their docks and "plant" them in rivers of the Chesapeake Bay

Volunteers who've been tending to cages or bags of bivalves in the water by their docks or piers are now pulling them up for relocation to sanctuaries in the wild.  There, it is hoped they'll play at least a bit part in helping to repopulate the bay with oysters, for which it was once famous.  Overharvested in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the bay's remaining oysters were ravaged by diseases in the 1980s, and the population today is estimated to be just 2 percent of historic levels.

On Saturday (June 5), members of the Severn River Association plan to plant nearly three-quarters of a million oysters on a new reef across from the Naval Academy in Annapolis.  The shellfish have been reared from spat since last August in 1,100 cages cared for by more than 250 volunteers.  Oysters once thrived on Traces Hollow reef - and may do so again, if this venture succeeds.

Starting on Sunday, members of the Patuxent River chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association of Maryland will deposit 300 bushels of oyster shells in Hellen Creek to prepare the bottom for new bivalves.  In subsequent weeks, volunteers plan to deposit 500,000 oysters in protected areas of the river that have been raised from spat by some 250 waterfront property owners.  Aiding the recreational anglers in this enterprise has been Calvin Davies, a Patuxent High School sophomore who tended a batch of oysters as his Eagle Scout service project.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which has been promoting oyster gardening for years, held oyster "drop-offs" in Annapolis, St. Michaels and Solomons this week where bivalves could be collected for relocation to watery sanctuaries.

These oysters are being raised for the ecological benefits, mind you, not to eat.  Mature oysters can filter up to 60 gallons of water a day, the Severn River group points out, and the reefs they build with their shells also provide habitat for other fish and aquatic creatures.

For those who'd like to try their hand at oyster gardening, the bay foundation will hold workshops in early fall. Check for a schedule sometime in August.

The state, meanwhile, has a "Marylanders Grow Oysters" program modeled on the bay foundation concept, which recruits volunteers to raise the bivalves.  Thousands of cages of oysters have been reared in a dozen rivers and creeks under the two-year-old effort, and Gov. Martin O'Malley announced this week the effort would be expanded into seven new tributaries.  For more on that, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

For those of you who thought protesting at the local BP gas station was unfair to the local owner, who surely had no direct link to the spill in the Gulf of Mexico: There will be a protest at BP’s Washington headquarters Friday.

The protest is sponsored by Public Citizen, Environmental Justice and Green Job Advocate Allies, and other groups plan to attend and show BP executives the "outrage Americans everywhere are feeling by making a citizen’s arrest of BP CEO Tony Hayward."

The public interest and environmental groups plan to, in their words, list charges against the corporation, including worker safety and environmental violations, price-gouging, negligence and the inability to adequately respond to the mounting catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding communities. The charges will culminate in a finding of criminal negligence and the presentation of a prison jumpsuit fitted for Hayward.

The protest sounds a little showy, but the groups say it's intended to reflect the seriousness of the situation and draw attention to the nation's dependence on dirty fuel.

The protest is at noon Friday at BP, 1101 New York Ave. N.W., Washington.

Associated Press photo of workers cleaning the Louisiana coast

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Events
        

Mark your calendars now for this year’s Pile of Craft, presented by the Charm City Craft Mafia on June 26 at the Village Learning Place.

The craft fair will feature 40+ crafters selling their own housewares, stationery, screen printed and sewn apparel, jewelry, handbags, hats, knit items, woven scarves, plush toys, ceramics, comic books, prints, paintings and more.

Support handmade and local artists and meet them in person!

In addition to having the area's most unique shopping, Pile Of Craft will also feature DIY printmaking demonstrations from Baltimore Print Studios. They’ll also raffle a basket of donated items from craft vendors (proceeds will be donated to the VLP). Light fare and organic coffee will be provided by Red Emma’s.

Pile of Craft is a free event and is open to all ages.

June 26 10-5 p.m.
2640 St. Paul St.
Baltimore, MD 21218

For more information, visit www.charmcitycraftmafia.com.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events
        

A group of Bay scientists, activists, former governors and other policy makers plans to stage an amphibious landing this morning in Annapolis to press for stronger cleanup efforts than the Chesapeake restoration's current leaders have embraced so far.

The "save the bay" boat flotilla expected to tie up at City Dock comes on the eve of a meeting Thursday in Baltimore of restoration leaders, including Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell.   Officials from Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, Delaware, New York and West Virginia also are expected to show up for the annual gathering of the Bay Program's "executive council," which this year is to take place at the Living Classrooms Foundation campus in the Inner Harbor.  (Good location - the only tributary of the Chesapeake that received an utterly failing "F" in the University of Maryland's latest annual report card on the bay's health.)

The Annapolis rally is the latest effort of the coalition of more than 50 bay "leaders" to press for more radical cleanup efforts than the federal and state governments have signed onto thus far, including more regulation of farming, retrofitting useless urban and suburban storm-water controls, and even curbing residential lawn fertilizing.  They first came out in late 2008 with a call for the restoration effort to abandon its longstanding reliance on voluntary, cooperative measures, which they faulted for the serial failure over the last 25 years to achieve cleanup goals.  

Since then, the state officials have pledged greater effort and accountability, and the Obama administration has vowed greater federal leadership, releasing its restoration strategy last month - an ambitious plan, though well short of the actions recommended by this group.   Thursday will be the first chance to hear exactly how much progress has been made toward the short-term cleanup "milestones" officials had set for themselves last year, to be reached by the end of 2011.   They'll lunch at Living Classrooms, then step outside to meet with some students and then make public statements and answer questions.

(AP Photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The bus is finally coming.

After a long delay, the Purple Line of the free downtown shuttle will start picking up passengers June 7. See the full Sun story.

The first route on the Charm City Circulator, which runs east-west, has been running for months. And officials told the Sun that it's exceeded expectations with 2,000 riders a day. (Though, I never see more than a few people on them at once.)

The new line will run north-south, from Federal Hill to Penn Station.

Mike Dresser, the Sun reporter following the story, tells me that bikes will not be allowed but officials are looking into installing racks at some stops.

So, anyone plan to use the bus? Anyone use the existing route? Waiting for the third route? I'll give it a try next week and report back. Here are the routes and maps.

Baltimore Sun photo/Jed Kirschbaum

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Al "Inconvenient Truth" Gore and his wife Tipper are calling it quits after 40 years.

Here's the Associated Press story. Here's the Politico story.

So, this the Oscar -- or Nobel -- curse?

Associated Press photo of the Gores in happier days

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: News
        

The Wednesday farmer's market returns downtown for the second year, beginning June 2.

This one is sponsored by the Maryland Departments of General Services, Health and Mental Hygiene and Agriculture, as well as state employees. And the idea was to have a market that could be reached by light rail, bus or metro, and during the week when others aren't typically open.

There are others cropping up during the week, including a market at Johns Hopkins and another in Mount Washington.

The state one will be located at 300 West Preston St. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every Wednesday from June 2 until October.

The state reports there are now more than 90 farmers markets around Maryland with at least one in every county and Baltimore city. Here is a state directory.

Would a mid-week market be useful? Plan to go? 

Baltimore Sun file photo/Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Buy local