You are receiving this e-mail from Baltimore Metropolitan Council because you registered on our web site or have previously indicated an interest in the work of the BMC. If you haven't done so already, click to confirm your interest in receiving e-mails from us. You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails. | |  Environmental News Brief Presented by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council for the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board | | | | | | | Dear omss, The following news "briefs" highlight recent news regarding transportation-related environmental issues, primarily air quality, affecting the Baltimore region. Please note that this brief is not all inclusive of the variety and magnitude of activities in the region. It is intended for informational purposes only; refer to the source, guidance, or program for additional information. | Draft Chesapeake Bay Plan Released
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Plan for the Chesapeake Bay. The TMDL establishes a "pollution diet" for the Bay: daily load limits of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and sediments.
States located within the Bay watershed are required to submit final implementation plans for addressing the TMDL by November 29th. With over 40,000 TMDL's having been completed across the country, the Chesapeake Bay TMDL will be the largest.
A 45-day public comment period on the Draft TMDL will end on November 8, 2010. |
| First Step Made Towards Setting Model Year 2017 to 2025 Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Standards U.S. EPA and U.S. DOT National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on September 30 their intent to develop stricter fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks made in model years 2017 through 2025. Together with the California Air Resources Board, these two agencies conducted a technical assessment which included the development of scenarios for decreasing greenhouse emissions from cars by 3, 4, 5, and 6 percent annually starting in 2017, along with analyses of potential technologies that could contribute toward achieving the standards. These scenarios translate roughly into between 47 and 62 miles per gallon (mpg) fuel economy in 2025. This Notice of Intent (NOI) is in response to a May 21 Presidential Memorandum which requests that U.S. EPA and NHTSA develop a "coordinated national program under the CAA [Clean Air Act] and the EISA [Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007] to improve fuel efficiency and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of passenger cars and light-duty trucks of model years 2017-2025." Just six months ago, EPA and NHTSA issued the first phase of the national program which covers model years 2012 through 2016. The first phase of the program includes a set of standards which requires light-duty vehicles to achieve a combined average of approximately 34.1 miles per gallon by model year 2016. The benefits of this national program include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy security, increasing fuel savings, and providing clarity and predictability for manufacturers. EPA believes that by continuing the establishment of national standards out to 2025, the next phase of the program will give automakers a sense of certainty about the need to invest in innovative research. The tailpipe and fuel economy standards are expected to be proposed by September 30, 2011.
>> Find out more about the Notice and view the Technical Assessment Report |
The Baltimore Metropolitan Council Has Moved  After ten years at Lighthouse Point in Canton, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) moved its offices on September 20th. We are now located at the new McHenry Row development in the Locust Point area of South Baltimore. McHenry Row is located at Fort Avenue and Key Highway, and occupies the site of the former Chesapeake Paperboard Company. When completed, the development will include a five-story office building, parking garage, apartments over ground-level retail, and a new grocery store. BMC will be the first tenant in the office building. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are the same. BMC's new mailing address is: Baltimore Metropolitan Council
Offices @ McHenry Row
1500 Whetstone Way - Suite 300
Baltimore, MD 21230 |
| Upcoming Events
EPA Public Meeting on the Draft Chesapeake Bay TMDL Date: October 13, 2010 Location: Sheraton Annapolis, 173 Jennifer Road, Annapolis, MD
 National Green Infrastructure Conference 2011Date: February 23 to 25, 2011 Location: National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), Shepherdstown, WV
The Inaugural 2011 National Green Infrastructure Conference is a gathering of policy-makers, practitioners, and on-the-ground implementers of green infrastructure practices and design from around the country. This is the first official conference of the National Green Infrastructure Community of Practice. There will be an optional Primer on Green Infrastructure on Tuesday, February 22. Green infrastructure is defined by the Conservation Fund as "a network of natural areas and open spaces-woodlands, wetlands, trails and parks-that conserves ecosystems, helps sustain clean air and water and provides many other benefits to people and wildlife." In addition, it is "a way to identify the best lands to accommodate development and infrastructure while also considering the best lands to conserve."
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| Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit Don't forget about the federal energy efficiency tax credit that expires at the end of this year. |
| In the News |
| | Links of Interest | | |
| | | | | Sara Tomlinson Environmental Planning Specialist 410-732-0500 Ext. 1035 |
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