Baltimore has some of the most dangerous air to breathe in the nation. MIT researchers showed that Baltimore City had the deadliest air in the nation in 2005. According to EPA, in 2014, Baltimore was the 81st most air polluted locality in the nation (out of over 9,000) and is the most polluted city in Maryland. In 2018, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked Baltimore as the 33rd worst asthma capital in the nation.
This law we’ve been working on would force the city’s largest air polluter (the Wheelabrator Baltimore trash incinerator) and the nation’s largest medical waste incinerator (Curtis Bay Energy) to abide by the nation’s strictest standards or shut down. See our recent coverage in the Baltimore Sun! City Council proposes clean air rules forcing Baltimore trash incinerator to cut pollution — or shut down (Baltimore Sun, 11/19/2018)
The Baltimore Clean Air Act is designed to raise pollution standards to bring about cleaner air in Baltimore city. The Clean Air Ordinance will do the following:
- Raise the emissions standards for the city for burners of solid waste or fuel with a capacity of 25 tons or more.
- Require continuous monitoring of 20 major pollutants to be posted real time on a publicly accessible website.
- Require qualifying facilities to install pollution controls to minimize damages.
Read more about it here:
- Baltimore Needs a Clean Air Act
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Economic and Health Benefits of the Baltimore Clean Air Act
- Four Unanimous City Council Resolutions Urging a Transition from Incineration to Zero Waste
Who supports the Baltimore Clean Air Act?
If your group isn’t signed on, you can sign on here!
American Lung Association
Baltimore Beyond Plastic
Baltimore Green Party
Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility
Christ Church Harbor Apartments
Christ Lutheran Church
Communities United
Energy Justice Network
Food & Water Watch
Green Smart Cities Baltimore
Hamden Community Council
Harbor Way East Condominium Association
Maryland Environmental Health Network
Marylanders for Energy Democracy and Affordability
Otterbein Community Association
Patterson Park Neighborhood Association
Poverty & Race Research Action Council
Progressive Maryland
The Towers at Harbor Court
Sierra Club – Greater Baltimore Group
St. Ignatus Parish
Urban Environmental Toxic Tour