Maryland Environment Secretary Grumbles statement on EPA’s proposed denial of the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Clean Air Act petition

Maryland Environment Secretary Grumbles statement on EPA’s proposed denial of the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Clean Air Act petition

BALTIMORE (June 1, 2018) – Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles issued the following statement in response to the U.S. EPA’s proposed denial of the department’s petition under Section 126 of the Clean Air Act:

“The Hogan administration and the Maryland Department of the Environment are committed to continued clean air progress. We strongly disagree with the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed denial of MDE’s petition to require upwind power plants to reduce the pollution that blows into our state and dirties the air that Marylanders breathe. We’re not asking for those power plants to do anything that we’re not already doing in Maryland. We will testify in opposition to the proposal and use all available tools, including litigation, to ensure we can keep our commitment to upholding aggressive air quality standards and protecting the Chesapeake Bay.”

The Maryland Department of the Environment filed the petition in November 2016 to require power plants in five upwind states to reduce pollution that significantly affects the quality of Maryland’s air. More info.

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