In 2018 Safe Skies Maryland introduced our first piece of legislation to the Maryland General Assembly, the “Bird-safe Buildings Act”. In 2019 Safe Skies worked with sponsors to re-brand the initiative to the Energy-efficient and Bird-safe Building Standards bill (HB136 & SB314) which passed the floor in both the Senate and House, but with amendments did not make the cutoff for reconciliation. This year we will present the reconciled bill for passage in the 2020 legislative session, as well as three other legislative efforts, and would appreciate getting as many citizens as possible to reach out to their legislators to help get these bills approved.
Department of General Services – Energy-Conserving Standards (Maryland Sustainable Buildings Act of 2020)
Synopsis: Requiring the Department of General Services to establish and periodically update certain standards for State buildings to conserve energy and minimize adverse impacts on birds; requiring each State building constructed, acquired, or substantially altered by the State to meet the standards to the extent practicable and within budgetary constraints; requiring the Department to reduce the lighting of existing State buildings in a certain manner; etc. — Read More
Solid Waste Management – Prohibition on Releasing a Balloon Into the Atmosphere
Synopsis: Prohibiting a person from knowingly and intentionally releasing or causing to be released, or organizing the release of, a certain balloon into the atmosphere; authorizing the Department of the Environment to delegate certain enforcement authority to a certain unit, officer, or official of a local government; requiring a certain unit, officer, or official of a local government with delegated enforcement authority to report certain violations to the Department; establishing a civil penalty of $250 for a violation of the Act; etc. — Read More
Real Property – Restrictions on Use – Low-Impact Landscaping
Synopsis: Prohibiting a certain restriction on use from imposing unreasonable limitations on low-impact landscaping under certain circumstances; providing that the Act may not be construed to prohibit a certain restriction on use from including certain reasonable guidelines regarding the type, number, and location of low-impact landscaping features; and exempting a certain restriction on use on certain historic property from the applicability of the Act. — Read More
Elimination of Stockpiles of the Banned Pesticide Carbofuran (Carbofuran Stockpile Elimination Act of 2020)
Synopsis: This bill closes a current loophole in federal law regulating the sale, trade, and use of this banned pesticide but failing to address existing stockpiles. The bill has not been filed in the House or Senate as yet. Keep an eye here for updated information.
Additional Bills Safe Skies is Supporting
Pesticides – Use of Chlorpyrifos – Prohibition: SB0300 & HB0229
Safe Skies Maryland 