[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6635833,"mediaKeyId","2618032-323f76787c65c03c0dfa2a16723ac9b3","parentId",2618032,"title","Committee reviews draft extended producer responsibility plan for packaging and paper; staff to refine timelines and exemptions","audioSeconds",903,"startMs",6897000,"endMs",7800000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2618032-323f76787c65c03c0dfa2a16723ac9b3&start=6897&end=7800","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2618032-323f76787c65c03c0dfa2a16723ac9b3/thumbnail_6897000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6635833/Maryland/Committee-reviews-draft-extended-producer-responsibility-plan-for-packaging-and-paper-staff-to-refine-timelines-and-exemptions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6635833-86badee0b920d15326d0d9450793e068/orig.mp4?Expires=1773655807&Signature=cqVcRHkAYQ2pdMPiuZgeL2CXbIf-98vFosQLknIq31jVb5jyM-3hT32jTuqYag~BYllr7TnoLzKfUlAQnS2tQu8wlpL-3Db4CnkJwSyWsGrVyFxOzSYJlR022O3wfR40clX3sGaSYERY7Soq3bHwhPIoQHrMKpytBQ9xaSTzjxMvvQMSIf5YHzhI4U03Nz0sc-2Uat2xlJ-IG6b7kncnYG4Xbf2Tjh9wjCJz4xH27L0XfDoyw8vdNYwE0nBPdSUjyOATVD-bWKtCW9POyEJyxijJKln-HLI6s0kg5dRNiNjVQFV~-SVQ9LARUngd1Epafcrqx-KzeQ3MOqopqyKMOg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Maryland General Assembly - Education, Energy and Environment","date","2025-03-14T00:54:18.383Z","article","The committee spent the session on a detailed briefing about Senate Bill 901, an extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework for packaging and paper products that would require producers or brand owners to fund collection, transport, processing, outreach and program administration.

The proposal would require producers to register with a producer responsibility organization (PRO) and submit multi‑year plans to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). Plans would set performance goals — for recycling, composting, reuse, post‑consumer recycled content and greenhouse‑gas reduction — and must describe how the PRO will reimburse service providers (counties, contracted haulers, schools and public buildings) for covered services. The bill as discussed excludes a long list of specific materials and creates a de‑minimis threshold for small producers.

Why it matters: supporters said the program shifts costs from taxpayers and local governments to the businesses that introduce single‑use packaging and paper into the market, and creates market signals to encourage easier‑to‑recycle or reusable packaging. Committee members raised questions about timing, the workload for MDE, possible consumer price effects, and how the program will interact with a potential beverage container deposit scheme.

Key features discussed

- Covered materials: The proposal covers packaging and other paper products, with a long list of exemptions (for example, certain hazardous or contaminated materials and some commercial uses).

- Producers and registration: Brand owners or manufacturers above a de‑minimis threshold (less than 1 ton introduced in Maryland or under $2 million in global revenue) would register with a PRO. The PRO initially selected under prior work would register with MDE by 07/01/2026; other PROs could be approved later.

- Producer responsibility plans: PROs must file plans (first due by 07/01/2028 and then every five years) that establish performance goals, propose reimbursement rates for service providers, show how the program will be funded by producer fees without new consumer‑facing fees, and explain measures to support reuse and recycled content.

- Reimbursement and ecomodulation: Service providers (counties, haulers, school systems) would register to receive reimbursements for collection, transport and processing costs. Fees collected from producers would be adjusted by how recyclable or reusable a product is (\"ecomodulation\").

- Oversight and enforcement: MDE would review plans, and may require independent financial audits of fee proposals. MDE may impose administrative and civil penalties on producers or on a PRO if performance goals are not met.

- Bottle‑bill coordination: If Maryland enacts a beverage container deposit law, the bill includes a provision directing MDE to coordinate so that covered beverage containers are exempted from or credited under the PRO program.

Committee questions and concerns

Members repeatedly asked about MDE capacity and budget to implement and enforce the program; staff said initial fiscal staffing needs were estimated in the department's fiscal materials and that registration and program fees paid by the PRO would reimburse MDE for review and oversight. Members asked for clearer estimates of staff needed and ongoing costs.

Several members asked whether producer fees would be passed to consumers and what the net effect on prices would be; sponsors and business representatives said producers view this as a cost of doing business and that the program's market signals should reduce costs over time by increasing reuse and recycled‑content markets.

Members also asked about geographic equity: how the program would work where jurisdictions operate single‑stream collection versus dual‑stream or where no curbside service exists. Staff said the reimbursement framework is intended to be flexible and to reimburse whatever collection method a service provider uses.

Next steps

The bill as discussed was the subject of an extensive technical briefing; committee members asked for follow‑up materials including (1) the list of stakeholders who participated in the recent working session and copies of meeting materials, (2) a clearer estimate of MDE startup and ongoing staff needs and how those costs will be covered by the PRO, and (3) illustrative examples of ecomodulation categories and sample fee calculations. The measure was not voted on; sponsors indicated they will return with refinements.

Ending: The committee recessed after an extended discussion; senators asked staff to circulate the advisory‑council and needs‑assessment documents and to provide a short memo on projected MDE staffing and implementation timelines.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","EEE Committee Session, 3/13/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","The committee spent the session on a detailed briefing about Senate Bill 901, an extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework for packaging and paper products that would require brand owners to fund collection, transport, processing, outreach and program administration.","taxTitle","Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, SENATE, SENATE, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",15092,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6635823,"Votes at a glance: key Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee actions",1361,3394000,4755000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2618032-323f76787c65c03c0dfa2a16723ac9b3&start=3394&end=4755","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2618032-323f76787c65c03c0dfa2a16723ac9b3/thumbnail_3394000.jpg","/articles/6635823/Maryland/Votes-at-a-glance-key-Education-Energy-and-the-Environment-Committee-actions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6635823-d7a2b4e7b7fb145158863471c94ad61c/orig.mp4?Expires=1773655807&Signature=banGXGI1-6WVDZuvjOasao2PLTCzq1MHIJX4~0RBOJ1WPb4NEB4o1ADSSl9J2XyuRyQvErpHqdGkCaRQHkSYOsTmXXgDEAwS1dpVo0ijVJwvLOMzbHoJxEs9jMoy4tW06Xco3vEz~--ZnRsLNq~X5HKYvkW6fABgi0WvLvmrc0o2LWqDbepEkClXETlrdkLnVtgSbYPeMIEetxNXqd8aWAJUWMxolyEeIbSxIVd8MwCINg464wC5PKWqS-Fsn~PWX0AHmcoB6A5LFitWdRIR1YFSS-E0dkE5C84~oZtIodG2C8bV7voLmwo8GzNX5HmAnC8o-Dq-AkoW0FRJyFl9Dw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee took recorded votes on multiple measures during the meeting and held others for more information. Below are the items the committee recorded outcomes on during this session. Where the roll call was taken, the committee list and tally are reported as recorded on the transcript.

Votes and outcomes (selected)

- Senate Bill 250 (Department of the Environment fees, penalties, funding and regulation): Passed as amended. Motion moved by Senator Washington, seconded by Senator Hester. Roll call: Yes — Kagan, Augustine, Watson, Otter, Attar, Brooks, Hester, Washington, Feldman; No — Gallien, Caroza, Simon‑Air. Tally: 8–3. (Hester and MDE amendments and agreed Washington amendments adopted.)

- Senate Bill 175 (corrugated stainless steel tubing/CSST restrictions): Carried unanimously after amendment (amendments ban non‑conductive jacketed CSST [\"yellow jacket\"] and require a study by MDE/Fire Prevention Commission). Motion carried unanimously.

- Senate Bill 543 (provisional ballots / nonpartisan board of education contests): Favorably reported unanimously; committee noted administrative processes to duplicate ballots for nonpartisan contests when voters arrived in the wrong primary.

- Senate Bill 770 (applicants for positions involving direct contact with minors — amended): Reported favorably as amended. Roll call recorded 9–2 (senators Augustine and Carozza recorded as \"No\"). The adopted amendment requires local school systems to provide crisis support when a staff member with direct contact with minors is removed and convenes a stakeholder work group to study boundary‑violating behavior definitions and hiring impacts.

- Senate Bill 587 (Maryland Reparations Commission): Motion to move favorable carried (committee record lists multiple \"yes\" votes; chair announced bill carries). Sponsor amendments were accepted.

Held or deferred for further information

- Senate Bill 901 (extended producer responsibility for packaging and paper): Extensive briefing; no vote. Committee requested advisory‑council materials, the needs assessment, and MDE implementation cost/staffing estimates before taking further action.

- Senate Bill 29 (Phone‑Free Schools / MSDE guidance amendments): Held for additional discussion with sponsor; members requested follow‑up.

- Senate Bill 93 (absentee ballot application notice to voters): Amended to require inclusion of notice in existing mailings; held for further review and to address concerns about permanent absentee voters and mail classes.

- Senate Bill 633 (campaign finance/political solicitation disclosures): Held for the morning voting session to allow the State Administrator of Elections to answer technical questions.

Notes: The committee also moved several other bills favorably by voice vote or unanimous hand raise during the meeting (e.g., the vulnerable adult theft prevention bill, SB466, was taken favorably out of committee position; SB856 Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act moved favorably out of JPR and then by committee). Where specific roll calls were recorded in the transcript those are reproduced above.","The committee voted on several bills during the session. This roundup lists motions and outcomes recorded during the meeting; items left without final votes were held for later consideration.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6635828,"Committee approves MDE fee package with dam‑safety registration, septic/well permit fees and increased air fees; Hester amendments set registration caps and waq",2692,1932000,4624000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2618032-323f76787c65c03c0dfa2a16723ac9b3&start=1932&end=4624","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2618032-323f76787c65c03c0dfa2a16723ac9b3/thumbnail_1932000.jpg","/articles/6635828/Maryland/Committee-approves-MDE-fee-package-with-damsafety-registration-septicwell-permit-fees-and-increased-air-fees-Hester-amendments-set-registration-caps-and-waq","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6635828-b64a4b7e5bbce063e699e49824de99b8/orig.mp4?Expires=1773655807&Signature=VZt9TYZWkVi6vfVR-fjwPv4rkEnpCzgqpY8T5q10iVNYHEGHhS4TgxMI1FJfh-oOz6lQBVIm~6FY9lAfLsT6-ER2oRTm2qb8VlZzdI5YXhqRibRnmZn53vFRBPEpVdUoePr9Wv~vXJrcYIZAW4rYC-6iImZ8IT17LH~1kDRICinXENFDUKjM-Bq1oaXAjz2MtqKODPHRdnDiiQdNm62FDvzQlo~VXAzht5CdTc4KEVeT44MFQ6JNq2MWLhhFWV6eJnkrRuSBLpoethcat9M9n73FrW3EEIZ1OWG7Qzh5uNd9dzGt-Y3SS1-T05Hon1y~u98fSc31Abf4SV37o4g3tw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee voted to report Senate Bill 250, a departmental bill from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) that increases multiple fees and penalties used to fund the department's programs and creates a new special fund for dam safety.

Why it matters: the bill would shift certain program costs from general revenues to fee payers, authorize new permit and registration fees, and create a dam safety fund to assist private dam owners with repairs. Committee amendments changed the structure and timing of several fees and added exemptions and hardship waivers for small dams.

What the bill would do (as amended)

- Air program: increase the statutory cap for emissions‑based air quality operating permit fees (the draft raised the cap to $200 per ton; a later amendment reduced the cap to $100). MDE told the committee the fee cap of $200 would be sufficient to cover federally delegated permitting costs; $100 would not fully cover that need.

- Septic and well permits: authorize MDE to charge fees in counties where local health departments do not perform those permitting functions; fees capped but may be indexed for inflation.

- Oil transfer fee: raise the per‑barrel fee (structured in the bill to increase to 9¢ and then revert on schedule unless extended by future action).

- Dam safety: require dam owners to register with MDE and pay an annual registration fee (staggered by hazard classification). Hester amendments exempt small low‑hazard dams from registration and delay the registration requirement until 01/01/2027; they set explicit registration fees (e.g., $200 low, $500 significant, $1,000 high hazard) and require a hardship waiver process. The amendments also capped construction permit fees at a percentage of estimated construction cost (a top cap of 3%) and required the department to establish a hardship waiver process.

- Special fund and assistance: the bill creates a new special fund financed by registration and hazard‑based fees and authorizes the fund to provide financial assistance to dam owners requiring repairs.

- Coal combustion: broaden the annual fee base for coal combustion byproduct generators to include landfilled or stored coal ash that causes environmental harm.

Committee debate and amendments

Senator Hester's amendments were the most consequential for dam safety: they delayed statewide registration, exempted small low‑hazard dams, set fee levels, created a waiver for owners who cannot pay, and asked MDE to notify affected owners in advance. MDE staff (Lee Curry, director of Water and Science Administration) told senators the 3% cap mirrors some other states' approaches and that Maryland's dam inventory contains roughly 557 structures (about 261 privately owned).

Senator Washington proposed several amendments that the committee accepted in part; she removed a provision that would have funneled excess Clean Air Fund balances into the general fund, modified the proposed air‑permit cap downward in negotiation with MDE, and restored certain oil‑transfer licensing language. MDE agreed to some but not all of the sponsor's changes; the final package included MDE's requested technical amendments as well.

Vote and action

The committee adopted Hester and MDE amendments, accepted agreed Washington amendments, and voted to report the bill favorably as amended. Senator Washington moved favorable; Senator Hester seconded. The roll call on the final amended bill was: Aye — Kagan, Augustine, Watson, Otter, Attar, Brooks, Hester, Washington, Feldman; No — Gallien, Carozza, Simon‑Air (recorded as \"No\" in the roll call). The motion carried, 8–3.

Implementation notes and next steps

MDE acknowledged it will need additional program resources to implement some provisions and that the plan is for fees and registration revenue to cover administrative costs. Senators asked for follow‑up on which dams are on Maryland's inventory, how many are privately owned, and how MDE will notify owners; the Hester amendment requires MDE to notify owners on or before 10/01/2025 and 10/01/2026 ahead of the 01/01/2027 registration date.

Ending: Sponsors said they would continue to refine legislative language as needed. The committee moved the bill favorably to the next chamber stage.","The committee favorably reported Senate Bill 250 as amended, a wide‑ranging Department of the Environment bill that raises fees and establishes a new dam‑safety registration and fund. Members adopted Hester amendments that delay resident registration and cap permit fees; Washington and MDE amendments narrowed or altered several provisions.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee reviews draft extended producer responsibility plan for packaging and paper; staff to refine timelines and exemptions

Votes at a glance: key Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee actions

Committee approves MDE fee package with dam‑safety registration, septic/well permit fees and increased air fees; Hester amendments set registration caps and waq