§ 9-1605.4. Clean Water Commerce Account
West's Annotated Code of MarylandEnvironmentEffective: June 1, 2021
Effective: June 1, 2021
MD Code, Environment, § 9-1605.4
§ 9-1605.4. Clean Water Commerce Account
(c) The purpose of the Account is to purchase environmental outcomes in support of the State's efforts to achieve the Chesapeake Bay TMDL.
(e) The Account consists of:
(f)(1) Subject to the provisions of this subsection, the Account may be used only for the purchase of cost-effective environmental outcomes that:
(ii) At least 20% shall be used to procure environmental outcomes from projects, including stormwater management and green infrastructure projects, established in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms and risks as identified by the Department in consultation with the Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities; and
(iii) At least 10% shall be used to procure environmental outcomes from nonagricultural landscape restoration projects that take into consideration the project's ecological suitability, including the hydrological conditions and other physical characteristics of the location at which the project will be implemented.
(g) Expenditures from the Account may be made only in accordance with the State budget.
(h) The Department may establish subaccounts within the Account to carry out the purposes of this section.
(i) An environmental outcome purchased under this section may not be resold or transferred to any other person separately from the property on which the environmental outcome is located.
(j) In calculating pollution reductions under the Chesapeake Bay TMDL by various major source sectors recognized in the Watershed Implementation Plan, credit for any reductions funded under this section shall be attributed to the sector of the source that makes the reductions.
(k)(1) The Department shall:
(l) The Department shall:
(m) An environmental outcome purchased under this section shall:
(n) A contract entered into by the Department under this section may be funded for the expected life of the project or practice yielding the environmental outcome, not to exceed 20 years.
(o) A contract entered into by the Department under this section shall:
(p) The Department shall:
(q)(1)(i) Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, a project or practice that is partially financed with another source of State funds may be funded under this section.
(r) In conjunction with the report required under § 9-1605.2(j)(6) of this subtitle, on or before December 31 each year, the Bay Restoration Fund Advisory Committee shall report, in accordance with § 2-1257 of the State Government Article, to the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee and the House Environment and Transportation Committee on:
(5) For fiscal year 2025 only, any amendments to this section necessary to reflect historic and projected demand for funding from the Account and the Bay Restoration Fund, including an assessment and recommendation on possible changes to the percentages specified under subsection (f) of this section.
Credits
Added by Acts 2021, c. 694, § 1, eff. June 1, 2021; Acts 2021, c. 695, § 1, eff. June 1, 2021.
MD Code, Environment, § 9-1605.4, MD ENVIR § 9-1605.4
Current through legislation effective through April 9, 2023, from the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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