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12.08.11
Call for Oyster Moratorium Fails to Sway Watermen, Officials

 By GREG MASTERS

Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS - The Chesapeake Bay's oyster population has plummeted since the late 1960s, when Willy Dean, a Maryland waterman since the age of 17, would go hand tonging with his father and "load the boat with oysters."

"The catch is way, way down from what it was back then," Dean said.

10.13.11
Waste-to-Energy Dirtier Than Coal-Fired Power Plants, Report Claims

By GREG MASTERS Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS -- A report released Thursday argues that waste-to-energy incinerators are not truly renewable, despite Maryland's waste-to-energy sector being placed in the same renewable energy class as solar and wind power.

The nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project issued the report, which claims that the state’s two major waste-to-energy incinerators produce more pollution than some coal-fired power plants.

09.28.11
GPS Could Be Used To Deter Chesapeake Bay Poachers

ANNAPOLIS – A pilot program to install tracking devices on some commercial fishing boats in the Chesapeake Bay may go into effect next year.

The program – which will be discussed at two open houses next week along with proposed fishing regulations from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service – would be voluntary for commercial fishermen. But vessel monitoring systems may ultimately be required to discourage illegal fishing in Maryland, said Tom O’Connell, director of DNR’s fisheries service.

09.15.11
Chesapeake Murky and Debris-Strewn after Recent Downpours

By GREG MASTERS Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS -- Biologists Andrew Watts and Alice Volpitta navigated the muddy, junk-strewn waters of the Chesapeake Bay, testing water quality and finding out just how much dirt and debris the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee dumped into the bay.

Stopping their small boat near the mouth of the Patapsco River recently, Watts and Volpitta, who work for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, tested water clarity by measuring the Secchi depth, or how deep a disk could be dropped before it disappeared.

09.07.11
Hurricane Irene Purges Chesapeake Bay's Dead Zones

Hurricane Irene brought destruction to the mid-Atlantic region, but it also had a positive impact on the Chesapeake Bay, stirring the waters and allowing oxygen into the vast dead zone that stretches from Baltimore to Virginia.

09.02.11
Sewage Spill after Hurricane Irene Limits Shellfish Harvesting in Part of Chesapeake

By GREG MASTERS Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS -- Most of Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay will reopen to shellfish harvesting Sunday after a weeklong closure, but waters at the mouth of the Patapsco River will stay off limits due to a ruptured pipeline that continues to spew millions of gallons of waste into the river.

05.06.11
Many Hatchery-Produced Oysters Illegally Harvested

The fruit of a third of the work done by state agencies, organizations and fisheries to restore the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay is being stolen through illegal harvesting, according to biologists who research oyster beds in the bay.

04.12.11
Bill to Stop Natural Gas Drilling Fails, Along with Other Environmental Legislation

A bill that would have imposed a two-year moratorium on natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation while an environmental impact study was completed stalled in the Senate this legislative session after easily passing the House.

04.07.11
No Offshore Wind Bill for O'Malley

Gov. Martin O'Malley's key piece of green legislation this session was effectively killed for the year after being held for study in the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday.

03.29.11
A Boatload of Poaching Legislation in the House and Senate

By Kerry Davis Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS -- A bevy of poaching bills is making its way through the House and Senate, highlighting divisions among lawmakers who are trying to address poaching problems in different ways.

03.23.11
O'Malley Rallies for Offshore Wind as Likelihood of Passage Wanes

Gov. Martin O'Malley rallied about 40 supporters of offshore wind energy on Wednesday, urging them to join him in one last chant that they hope will reach the ears of key committee legislators in Annapolis - "Pass the Bill!"

03.22.11
Marcellus Shale Drilling Moratorium Poised For House Passage

Legislation to create a temporary moratorium on natural gas drilling in Western Maryland's Marcellus Shale deposits appears poised for passage in the House of Delegates.

03.04.11
Natural Resources Police Fight Poaching With All-Night Stakeouts

This year's fishing season has seen the largest rockfish poaching bust in more than 20 years. Officers found nearly 13 tons of illegally caught fish over the next few weeks, sometimes working 18-hour days to haul in nets.

03.03.11
O'Malley Touts Offshore Wind Farms

By KERRY DAVIS Capital News Service Thursday, March 3, 2011

ANNAPOLIS -- Gov. Martin O'Malley told legislators in the House Economic Matters Committee Thursday that offshore wind energy would create jobs and help the environment.

House Bill 1054 would contractually obligate utility companies to purchase some energy from offshore wind production companies for at least 20 years once wind turbines are built. If passed, local steel workers and energy companies are hoping to build the windmills in the Atlantic Ocean, about 12 miles offshore of Ocean City.

02.22.11
DNR Will Allow Two More Days of Rockfish Season

ANNAPOLIS -- Rockfish season will re-open for two days this month beginning on Friday.

02.18.11
Lawmaker Seeks to Crack Down on "Kingpin Poachers"

ANNAPOLIS -- A Maryland delegate intends to file a bill Monday that would add up to two years of jail time to a list of penalties for first-time rockfish poachers.

02.09.11
Natural Gas Extraction Debate Heats Up at the State House

A bill that would essentially impose a hold on natural gas drilling in Western Maryland until further studies are completed will be introduced Thursday in the House of Delegates.

02.05.11
Gill Net Fishing Closed Early Due to 10-Ton Rockfish Poaching Bust

Gill net fishing season was closed for the month and multiple agencies are offering a reward for information leading to arrests after a 10-ton rockfish poaching bust earlier this week.

02.03.11
Natural Resources Police Haul in 10 Tons of Illegally Caught Rockfish

KENT ISLAND -- Maryland Natural Resources Police found nearly seven tons of poached rockfish in illegally anchored fishing nets on the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay Tuesday night and Wednesday, bringing the total this week to 10 tons of rockfish, authorities said.

01.13.11
Cardin Law Makes Federal Government Pay Stormwater Fees

By LAURA E. LEE Capital News Service Thursday, January 13, 2011

COLLEGE PARK - Local and state governments could see stormwater management fees from the federal government in "a matter of weeks," Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said Thursday about a new law he co-sponsored.

12.03.10
Maryland Submits Pollution Diet Plan After Missing Deadline

By NICOLE DAO Capital News Service Friday, December 3, 2010

ANNAPOLIS - Maryland submitted its final "pollution diet" plan Friday, which details how the state will achieve Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction goals five years earlier than mandated by the federal government.

11.12.10
Turtles Bring Chesapeake Bay into Classrooms

By LINDSAY POWERS and NICOLE DAO Capital News Service Friday, November 12, 2010

ANNAPOLIS - Elementary, middle and high school students are enjoying the company of diamondback terrapins in their classrooms as part of the Terrapin Connection program run by the Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center in Millersville.

However, the interaction goes beyond just cleaning and feeding a classroom pet.

11.05.10
Watermen Afraid New Oyster Rules Will Hurt Their Harvest

By NICOLE DAO Capital News Service Friday, November 5, 2010

DEAL ISLAND - J.R. Gross, a veteran waterman, will drive two hours from his home on Monday to his boat in St. Jerome Creek to begin harvesting oysters off the shores of Southern Maryland.

10.12.10
Md. Company Announces Atlantic Cable Project to Bring Wind Power Ashore

By LAURA L. THORNTON Capital News Service

WASHINGTON - Developers unveiled a $5 billion undersea transmission cable project Tuesday that could link a Maryland wind farm planned off the Worchester County coast to the mainland electric grid upon completion in 2020.

10.12.10
O'Malley and Others Work to Save Nuclear Reactor Project