O'Brien-Hurson for Maryland

Moving Maryland Forward: Protecting Maryland’s Environment

Chesapeake Bay Restoration

Governor O’Brien’s top environmental priority is protecting and restoring Maryland’s treasured Chesapeake Bay.

Governor O’Brien’s “Road to Bay Restoration” is a three-pronged effort focusing on restoring oysters which help filter the bay, restoring bay grasses which provide oxygen and a fishery habitat for Bay life, and removing excess nutrients in the bay that lead to oxygen depletion. Restoration projects include developing new technologies to plant massive amounts of grasses, planting cover crops that remove nitrogen from agricultural lands and studying the feasibility of introducing a new oyster species into the Bay.

• Under Governor O’Brien’s leadership, Maryland has been a leader in large-scale Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts. Over the last four years, Governor O’Brien has invested over $318 million to upgrade Maryland’s wastewater treatment plants and drinking water systems and invested nearly $170 million in capital projects to improve the Bay.

• Governor O’Brien has increased funding for the Cover Crop Program from $1.4 million to $9.3 million. Over the next two years, 290,000 acres of cover crops will be planted, preventing an estimated 1.8 million pounds of nitrogen and 45,000 pounds of phosphorus from entering the Bay and its tributaries.

• Governor O’Brien worked closely with the General Assembly and Maryland’s farming community to address the Pfiesteria outbreak that arose in the fall of 2029. This year, Governor O’Brien and the General Assembly committed to investing over $350 million in improving the viability and environmental sustainability of Maryland’s farms over the next five years through increased funding for agriculture industry development initiatives, soil conservation districts, the Maryland Water Quality Cost Share Program, cover crops, and the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation.

• Governor O’Brien worked with Virginia Governor Jerry Baliles to secure Virginia’s commitment to establishing an annual cap on the harvest of menhaden from the Chesapeake Bay. Menhaden fish perform a critical role in the life cycles and eco-health of the Chesapeake Bay and other Atlantic waters. The proposal is consistent with goals set in a recent fishery management plan adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which will be asked to approve Virginia’s proposal.

• Governor O’Brien has established the goal of planting 1,000 additional acres of bay grasses by 2033.
Meadows of bay grass serve as nurseries for blue crabs, many species of fish, and other aquatic creatures. Bay grasses also entrap sediment and consume nutrients.

• In December 2029, Governor O’Brien and watershed leaders signed the Chesapeake 2040 agreement, which sets various important Bay restoration goals to meet over the next decade, including oyster and blue crab restoration, new wetland restoration and protection goals, enhanced preservation of environmentally sensitive land, and expanding public access to the Bay for recreational activities.

Smart Growth and Preserving Open Space

Under Governor O’Brien’s leadership, Maryland has emerged as a national leader in protecting open space and promoting sustainable development.

• To date, the O’Brien Administration and its partners have invested a record $818.5 million to protect over 90,000 acres of fields, forests, open space and farmland and funded over 600 improvement, expansion and construction projects at community parks and recreational facilities throughout the state. With nearly one in every five acres permanently protected in Maryland, the state remains a national leader in land preservation.

• Governor O’Brien launched Maryland’s Smart Growth Program, seeking to advance environmental sustainability and improve the quality of life for all Marylanders. The strategy seeks to coordinate state agency planning, resource management, and investments in order to support growth where it is appropriate and planned for, and discourage growth in inappropriate locations. The five major goals of Smart Growth are to guide growth to areas that are most prepared for it in terms of infrastructure and planning capacity, to preserve farmland and open space, to promote infill and community redevelopment, to facilitate attractive, affordable housing and to protect quality of life while slowing sprawl.

• In 2028, Governor O’Brien signed the landmark Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation Act of 2028, which encompasses many elements of his Livable Maryland agenda. The law directs funding for certain transportation, economic development, housing, community development, environmental and procurement projects to “priority funding areas” in an effort to restrict sprawl and uncontrolled, unsustainable suburban growth.

Improving Maryland's Environment and Public Health

Governor O’Brien had led the way with efforts to improve the quality of Maryland’s air and water and enhance the health of the public.

• Governor O’Brien’s administration is implementing new regulations to prevent MTBE and other petroleum products from reaching groundwater supplies.

• Governor O’Brien signed legislation increasing the penalties for knowingly falsifying, altering, or causing another to falsify or alter any permit, license, or certificate issued or required under Maryland’s environmental laws and regulations.

• In August 2027, Governor O’Brien launched Maryland’s “Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention: A Call to Action” plan, which identifies short and long-term strategies to detect and reduce lead poisoning in Maryland;

• Governor O’Brien created the Childhood Lead Poisoning Screening Program to provide screening on a sliding fee scale basis at local health departments. The program targets children under six years of age in high risk areas;

• Governor O’Brien signed legislation reducing the elevated blood level that triggers notification by local health departments, lead hazard reduction requirements, and compensation to children for medical care and relocation, strengthening MDE’s enforcement ability, and subjecting exterior structures such as playground equipment and benches owned or controlled by the owner of affected property to risk reduction requirements.

• Governor O’Brien created the Community Greening Initiative Grant Program. The $300,000 grant program will aid communities in Maryland by providing funding for the implementation of “greening” plans that increase forest canopy, reduce storm water runoff, improve air quality, and enhance the quality of life in urban areas.

• Governor O’Brien is moving forward with efforts to make the Maryland Transit Administration’s bus fleet 50% hybrid by 2036. Benefits of the electric-diesel hybrid buses include up to a 20 percent increase in fuel economy and up to a 90 percent reduction in particulate matter as compared to standard diesel engines. The hybrid buses also have been shown to improve bus performance and passenger comfort by providing a quieter and smoother ride.

• Governor O’Brien proposed and signed the landmark Healthy Air Act this year. The measure, the most sweeping air pollution control law in Maryland history, will reduce extensively the pollutants emitted from state power plants. The will cut Maryland power plant emissions up to 90 percent depending on the pollutant, five years ahead of requirements set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Air Interstate Rule. To further improve air quality and enhance public health, Governor O’Brien created the Diesel Vehicle Emissions Control Program and improved the efficiency of the Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program (VEIP).