Thank you for all that you did for birds and for Maryland’s environment. We could not celebrate the legislative success of 2024 without you! Below is a list of Audubon's accomplishments in Maryland during the 2024 legislative session.

• The Whole Watershed Act (SB 969) - accelerates restoration of the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays watersheds through the beneficial use of dredge material and large-scale restoration efforts – which will benefit programs such as Audubon Mid-Atlantic’s Marshes for Tomorrow. This innovative approach will focus restoration resources on entire watersheds rather than small sections.

• The Gwynns Falls State Park Study and Advisory Group (HB 1358) - establishes a working group to develop a path forward for Gwynns Falls Leakin Park in Baltimore to become a State Park Partnership Park, bringing much needed resources to this ecological and cultural gem in West Baltimore – improving bird habitat and environmental justice.

• The Brighter Tomorrow Act (SB 783) - provides incentives for solar energy development to be located on rooftops, over parking lots, and in already disturbed lands such as brownfields, preventing forest and habitat fragmentation while promoting renewable energy development.

• The Biodiversity Protection Act (HB 979) - requires the Department of Agriculture to maintain a list of invasive plant species and develop a “prohibited list” which may ban the sale of those listed species. This will improve ecosystem health for birds and their food sources in Maryland.

• Critical Area Administrative Changes Law (HB 233) - gives the Maryland Department of Natural Resources more authority to guide land development away from sensitive tidal and coastal habitats, while also providing local jurisdictions with more resources to plan future land use while taking climate change, habitat conservation and environmental justice into consideration.

• Fish and Wildlife – Endangered and Threatened Species (HB 345) - requires the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to regularly update the state’s list of endangered or threatened species, while also regularly reviewing the definitions which make up the criteria to be endangered or threatened. This will bring more consistency to the process of protecting birds and other wildlife in the state.

• Offshore Projects – Alterations (HB 1296) - allows the Public Utilities Commission to increase the amount of offshore wind renewable credits available for purchase and production. This will open more opportunities for appropriately sited wind energy to be made available off the coast of Maryland and for that energy to power Maryland homes and businesses. 

• EMPOWER (HB 864) - requires utility companies to develop plans for achieving energy efficiency through reduced greenhouse gas emissions and conservation. This promotes energy efficiency through incentivizing costumers to make the switch to electric appliances therefore reducing pollution which impacts birds and bird habitat in Maryland. 

• Clean Water Justice Act (HB 1101) - restores protections for some Maryland waters that were lost in the Supreme Court decision in Sackett vs EPA. Specifically, this Act restores the right of communities harmed by water pollution to bring a lawsuit against polluters in those waters. Over 60% of streams in Maryland lost this protection following the decision, but this act brings protection back to the people and birds that rely on Maryland’s waterways.

• Pollinator Habitat Plan – Requirements for State Highway Administration (HB 22) - requires the State Highway Administration (SHA) to develop and monitor funding sources and planting plans for beneficial pollinator habitats in SHA land near state-maintained roads. This will lead to less mowing and more diverse habitats for birds’ food sources throughout the state.