Maryland

Per the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown co-led a coalition of 15 Attorneys General supporting EPA’s proposed rules for “advanced recycling” facilities, but also urging the agency to go further in its proposed Significant New Use Rules (SNURs) for producing 18 substances used to make transportation fuels and refinery feedstocks – raw material for processing or manufacturing another product – from plastic waste. Under the new rules, the “advanced recycling” – a misleading term that primarily refers to two processes, pyrolysis and gasification, that break plastics down into their constituent molecules – of plastic waste containing certain chemicals and impurities known to be hazardous to human health and the environment would require EPA’s pre-approval.

Pyrolysis and gasification are processes that use significant energy, extreme heat, and a low-orno oxygen environment to break down plastic products. Those molecules can then, in theory, be used to build new plastic products, but the great majority of substances produced through these processes is, instead, burned or added to transportation fuels. The plastic waste used in these processes often contains chemical additives and impurities that are known to be harmful to human health and the environment. Studies indicate that those additives and impurities may wind up in consumer goods or otherwise become part of a facility’s air, water, or solid waste emissions, posing significant environmental justice concerns as petrochemical facilities are disproportionately located in minority and low-income areas across the country.

With Women’s Equality Day around the corner and the U.S. ranking as only the 43rd best country for gender equality, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality, with Maryland coming in ranked 17th. Maryland middle-of-the-pack rankings in the categories ‘Workplace Environment’ and ‘Political Empowerment’, but a 1st place ranking in the ‘Education & Health’ category.

In order to determine where women receive the most equal treatment in American society, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 17 key metrics. The data set ranges from the gap between female and male executives to the disparity in unemployment rates for women and men.

Per the State of Maryland: Governor Moore today delivered the keynote address during the closing session of the 2023 Maryland Association of Counties summer conference in Ocean City. The governor spoke about the disciplined approach required to grow Maryland’s economy amid budget shortfalls and the critical value of partnerships to emerge stronger as a state.

Excerpts from Governor Moore’s speech as prepared:

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown co-led, along with Attorney General Letitia James of New York, a coalition of 13 attorneys general in comments supporting the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) proposed Gas Pipeline Leak Detection and Repair Rules. The rules largely implement the bipartisan PIPES Act of 2020 and would require the use of commercially available leak detection technology and common-sense operational controls to minimize both intentional and unintentional releases from gas pipelines.

“Every leak from gas infrastructure poses a direct threat to our communities and fuels global warming, which we know disproportionately impacts already overburdened families and communities. This proposal is a commonsense approach to eliminate leaks and needless environmental waste,” said Attorney General Brown. “It’s a win for both the safety of our citizens and the protection of our environment.”

The University of Maryland was named the top college in the nation for LGBTQ+ students by Campus Pride and BestColleges. It leads the list of 2023’s Top 25 LGBTQ+-Friendly Colleges, recognizing educational institutions that foster inclusive and supportive environments for LGBTQ+ students. Maryland was No. 1 in 2020 and appeared among the top 25 in 2021 and 2022.

The ranking is based on an extensive evaluation of various factors, including efforts to support and provide academic, financial, and social resources for LGBTQ+ students. In addition to the Campus Pride Index rating scale, BestColleges has included its own ranking methodology accounting for academic quality and college affordability. The collaboration between BestColleges.com and CampusPride aims to empower prospective LGBTQ+ students by providing them with valuable insights and information as they make decisions about their higher education journey.