Welcome to the New-Look eMDE

THE LATEST FROM THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

WELCOME TO THE NEW-LOOK eMDE

For many years the Maryland Department of the Environment has produced newsletters to share information on environmental issues. In recent years this has taken the form of eMDE – an electronic newsletter posted to the Department’s website and emailed to subscribers.

Now, we’re taking a fresh approach to eMDE.

Where you once saw an edition of eMDE every few months, you will now see news as it happens. We will continue to deliver this news to your email inbox. The new approach will also allow us to take advantage of the MDE website’s Newsroom page, which has been refurbished with a bright look and user-friendly navigation features.

In Maryland, we face a number of critical environmental challenges. Protecting and restoring our streams and rivers and the Chesapeake Bay, working to ensure an abundant supply of safe drinking water, keeping youngsters safe from the dangers of lead paint poisoning, maintaining our momentum in cleaning the air we all breathe and reducing the risks posed by climate change – these are just some of the issues that the men and women of the Maryland Department of the Environment are committed to addressing. Keeping Marylanders informed on these matters is a big part of our mission. The new-look eMDE is one of the ways we will do just that.

And what better time than Earth Week to launch this new project? We hope that the many events that take place this week achieve the goal of raising everyone’s awareness of environmental issues – and the ways that all of us can make a real difference.

Robert M. Summers, Ph. D.

FEATURED ARTICLE

EARTH WEEK 2014

The Maryland Department of the Environment is joining in the worldwide call to environmental awareness that is Earth Week. That means planting trees, picking up litter, teaching children how they can Reclaim the Bay and more.

Volunteers participate in the 2013 Arbor Day tree planting in Western Maryland.

To kick off the week’s events on Earth Day itself, MDE Secretary Robert M. Summers and staff from MDE’s mining program will help plant trees Tuesday at a former coal mining site near Frostburg in Western Maryland. The event, organized annually by the mining program, will also include 40 students from the Allegany County Center for Career and Technical Education and volunteers from local watershed groups. About 2,000 native hardwood seedlings from the John S. Ayton State Tree Nursery are expected to be planted over two to three acres. The annual event also marks Arbor Day.

As part of the event, this year’s Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative Excellence in Reforestation Award for a Maryland company will be presented to …

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IN THE NEWS

Secretary Summers celebrates Read Across Maryland

MDE Secretary Robert M. Summers visited with students at The Siena School in Silver Spring to celebrate Read Across Maryland month. The Secretary read excerpts from “The Magic School Bus and The Climate Challenge” to fourth- and fifth-grade students. He discussed climate change and why the earth is getting warmer with the youngsters and encouraged them to be part of the solution. Read more

Bay Journal: States don’t have to make big changes to prevent vibrio in oysters yet

Maryland, Virginia and the nation’s other shellfish-producing states are not going to have to make huge changes in the way seafood is stored and transported to protect customers from a rare but dangerous bacteria – at least for now. “We want to reduce illness,” says MDE’s Kathy Brohaw, “but we want to do it smart,” Brohawn said. Read more

New York Times: Scientists sound alarm on climate

The New York Times writes that a new American Association for the Advancement of Science report, “What We Know,” describes matters surrounding climate change in language this is “sharper, clearer and more accessible than perhaps anything the scientific community has put out to date.” Read more

AIR, LAND, WATER – DID YOU KNOW?

Enforcement action

Environmental laws and regulations are established to protect and foster a healthy and sustainable environment. MDE is committed to ensuring compliance with those laws and regulations and initiating enforcement action when warranted. Enforcement plays a critical role by deterring violations that would otherwise threaten the health of our citizens and our environment. The Department pursues violations in a manner that is fair and predictable in concert with partners on federal, state and local levels, ensuring that all Maryland citizens and groups are protected equally and regulated entities operate on a level playing field. The Department recently issued its Annual Enforcement and Compliance Report for Fiscal Year 2013. Read more

THE STAT

About this STAT

Maintaining a consistent baseline of enforcement is necessary to ensure compliance with state laws, regulations and permits that protect public health and the environment. In Fiscal Year 2013 MDE provided regulatory oversight for 160,223 entities in 31 different enforcement areas.

HAVE AN IDEA?

Email the Editor

We’re always looking for ways to make eMDE even better. Here’s a chance to tell us what you think. Have some thoughts on what we can do better or things you’d like to see more of? An idea for a specific story? We want to hear from you. Contact us!

MDE’s MISSION

Our mission is to protect and restore the quality of Maryland’s air, water, and land resources, while fostering smart growth, a thriving and sustainable economy and healthy communities.