A bill that would ban the use and sale of plastic bags in Baltimore County drew overwhelming support from residents in testimony before the County Council on Tuesday night.

Amid serious maintenance problems at Baltimore’s two wastewater treatment plants and persistent water billing and infrastructure issues, Maryland legislators are proposing a task force that would look into a new governance structure for the area’s water and wastewater system.

Several environmental groups are concerned about a new five-year permit that the state of Maryland issued to Valley Proteins, a Dorchester County industrial facility with a history of environmental violations.

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit earlier this month against World Recycling Company, alleging its recycling facilities in Baltimore and Prince George’s County have polluted the environment by illegally storing solid waste, and that the company largely ignored demands from the state to clean up its act.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott doubled his campaign war chest this month, campaign finance records show, marking an unofficial kickoff to the city’s mayoral race.

In a hastily arranged briefing for reporters, NOAA and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management addressed a spate of whale deaths on the East Coast that some groups suspect might have been caused by site preparation work for offshore wind farms.

A dead humpback whale was found on the beach at Assateague Island National Seashore on Monday, according to the U.S. National Park Service.

Environmental nonprofit Blue Water Baltimore has filed a notice of intent to sue Fleischmann’s Vinegar Co. in Baltimore, alleging the company has repeatedly polluted the Jones Falls.