environmental cleanup

Vickie Venzen is an environmental protection specialist at Aberdeen Proving Ground and the mother of three children, including twins. She and her dog, Face, a cane corso breed, competed in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York in February. We talk to her about what makes Face special and how she got into show business ¿ dog show business, that is.

Earth Day's impact was immediate: bipartisan support in Congress led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, along with the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Act.

Gov. Larry Hogan is backing away from his predecessor's attempt to make coal-fired power plants install costly new pollution controls, switch to cleaner-burning fuel or shut down.

Baltimore County hoping to encourage use of environmentally friendly tools

WASHINGTON -- Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh on Wednesday criticized a bipartisan bill intended to overhaul federal chemical regulations because it would allow the Environmental Protection Agency to preempt the oversight of some chemicals by states.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew visited Ellicott Dredge Enterprises LLC, a more than century-old manufacturer in southwest Baltimore, to highlight the Obama administration's commitment to investing in infrastructure.

Columbia-based specialty chemicals giant W.R. Grace & Co. announced Thursday that it would split into two independent companies, one focused on construction products and one focused on other materials and chemicals.

Rubber tires contain a number of carcinogens and lung irritants. The government knows a lot about the harmful effect that tires present and yet the Environmental Protection Agency has actually promoted the use of shredded tires and artificial turf where our children play.

As they prepare to meet Friday, Gov.-elect Larry Hogan and Attorney General-elect Brian E. Frosh both say they want to turn the page and work together. But the two men could find themselves at odds — especially about environmental issues.

Democrats run the economy better

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners recently named Dusty Hilbert as the new bureau chief of solid waste.

The new owners of the shuttered Sparrows Point steel mill in Baltimore County said Thursday that potential tenants are "banging down our door" for the opportunity to move to the site.

An input meeting to discuss the Loch Raven North Small Watershed Action Plan takes place Sept. 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Jones Falls, whose watershed is home to about 200,000 people and spans some 40 square miles from Garrison to the Inner Harbor, is set to begin a series of restoration and maintenance projects to improve recreational conditions and overall stream health.

Instead of having rainwater flow off roofs and into stormwater drains, Carroll County government is encouraging homeowners to conserve that water through its rain barrel program.

About 70 minutes after the derailment and fiery explosion of a chemical-laden train in Rosedale last year, a team of county firefighters, state environmental experts and CSX Transportation officials entered the "hot zone." New documents outline the extent of the chemical spill.

A Baltimore nonprofit AmeriCorps program will receive $200,000 in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant money to train 72 city residents for careers in environmental cleanup work.

A renewed effort is underway in Baltimore to impose a fee on most plastic bags handed out in city stores, and supporters believe that charging a nickel for each sack, rather than a dime, will allow the measure to gain enough backing to become law.

EPA's new five-year plan calls for doing fewer inspections and fewer enforcement actions, which worries some environmentalists. Agency officials say they intend to focus on the most important cases and use technology to help target their efforts.

Spring has finally sprung and Earth Day may be over but protecting our environment and preserving our land is an ongoing process. On Saturday, May 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Scenic Rivers Land Trust will be celebrating its 25th birthday with a garden party fundraiser at Hidden View Farm, located at 702 Defense Highway, in Crownsville. For detailed information, go to srlt.org.

Gov. Martin O'Malley responds to Dan Rodricks' column on Program Open Space.

Richard P. Healy, an environmental engineer whose career with the Environmental Protection Agency spanned more than three decades, died Saturday of cancer at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. He was 61.

The return of Carnival Pride to Baltimore offers a valuable lesson in economic growth and environmental protection

A developer wants to buy city-owned property near the Fairfield Marine Terminal to turn it into more parking for the port of Baltimore's thriving automobile industry.

Across Maryland and the country, more federal employees are teleworking from home than ever, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

The last year saw progressive politics ascendant in Maryland — and a growing backlash.

New phosphorous rules not ready for prime time

Advocates for Oregon Ridge Park warn construction of a gas pipeline planned to cut through Baltimore County's largest park will destroy acres of forest and could disrupt wildlife and pollute a popular swimming lake.

Harbor Point will be built safely without further studies

It behooves the county government to be on the lookout for land that can be used for parks and recreation facilities.

A new analysis of the nation's farm animal industry finds almost no reforms have been made in the five years since a broad-based commission called for sweeping changes to address concerns about food safety, animal welfare and the environmental impacts of modern poultry and livestock production.

When Dan and Margo Duesterhaus moved into their Ellicott City home 12 years ago, the solar power movement was still more concept than reality. But the couple had always been environmentally conscious, and they put their ideals into action.

Finishing the job of restoring the Bay will create more jobs, revive the seafood industry, and stimulate tourism, recreation fishing and even real estate values.

State leaders like Martin O'Malley are pushing the nation to address carbon pollution, former EPA Administrator Carol Browner says.

Environmental hurdles lie ahead in the race to increase capacity at the port of Baltimore as cargo tonnage continues to rise and an expanded Panama Canal promises more business in the future.

Energy production and environmental protection need not be mutually exclusive

The Maryland Port Administration wants to build an auto terminal at the former Sparrows Point steel mill in the next few years, speeding plans to bring jobs to an area hungry for them.

For some residents near Sparrows Point, there's an upside to the closure of the steel mill: No more steelmaking byproduct — kish — raining down on their properties. But a year after the shutdown, some still worry about the possibility of long-term effects.

Maryland's governor stood up for Baltimore jobs and environment

The Coast Guard has finished its environmental cleanup under the federal government's 'Superfund' program.

Millions wasted on Solyndra, Fisker