Environment – Baltimore Sun https://www.baltimoresun.com Baltimore Sun: Your source for Baltimore breaking news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic Mon, 28 Jul 2025 15:35:51 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://www.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/baltimore-sun-favicon.png?w=32 Environment – Baltimore Sun https://www.baltimoresun.com 32 32 208788401 Epping Forest residents clash over proposed $1.5M marina expansion https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/28/epping-forest-residents-clash-over-proposed-1-5m-marina-expansion/ Mon, 28 Jul 2025 09:00:50 +0000 https://www.baltimoresun.com/?p=11579254&preview=true&preview_id=11579254 The Epping Forest neighborhood, nearly 100 years old and on the south side of the Severn River, has been divided over a proposed $1.5 million marina refurbishment, partly because the residents will be the ones to pay for it.

Epping Forest, Inc., the organization that administers the Epping Forest special community benefit district, an added fee on top of taxes collected by Anne Arundel County for reasons agreed upon by the district, wants to take out a loan to pay for the upgrade.

Both sides presented their cases to the Anne Arundel County Council on July 21, and at that meeting, Epping Forest President Stacy Korbelak said a vote held in the neighborhood ended 115 for the marina and 64 against.

Later, resident Delia Deschaine said there are more than 400 properties in the neighborhood and the vote does not necessarily represent its will. Mitch Glazier, another resident, later said it was one of the highest voting turnouts the neighborhood has ever had. According to the Epping Forest website, there are “nearly 300” homes in the special community benefit district.

Korbelak, when contacted, declined to comment on the grounds of pending legal action against the neighborhood, though as of Friday afternoon no such case appears in the Maryland Judiciary Case Search.

To pay for the enhancement, the neighborhood corporation would have to take out a loan for $1.5 million and pay it off with equal amounts from each household over 10 years. Due to amortization, the neighborhood would be responsible for roughly $500,000 over that period, while the other $1 million is meant to be offset by marina boat slip fees.

Jeff Stockdale, who spoke at the meeting, said SCBD funding should be put toward fixing the neighborhood’s water supply — a wellwater system in disrepair operated by volunteers. Stockdale also said the new marina would extend nearly 140 feet into the river, potentially blocking the view of the private beach.

“The SCBD is meant to support shared community services. It’s not to subsidize luxury recreational infrastructure for a few, but if this bill passes, one-third of our annual SCBD budget will be tied up repaying this loan,” Stockdale said. “We are facing real infrastructure needs.”

Stockdale was one of a few people who spoke out against the project at the meeting.

“I appreciate all the concerns that were raised, but they were also raised within the community, within the process that was established. And at the end of the day, a vote was taken, and that vote ended up being two to one,” Glazier said at the meeting.

“The Boat Club has gone to large lengths to explain their program, their vision for the marina, and I think that there is a very small, few disgruntled people that don’t like the way the vote went, and they’re engaging in shenanigans and lawfare to try and delay, derail and kill this project, and I think it’s shameful,” said Denise Peterson, another resident.

District 6 councilmember Lisa Rodvien, who represents the neighborhood, called for the vote to be pushed to a meeting on Sept. 2 so she can review the situation. The postponement passed, with only District 2’s Allison Pickard dissenting and saying delaying the vote would harm the project.

Have a news tip? Contact Benjamin Rothstein at brothstein@baltsun.com, 443-928-1926.

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11579254 2025-07-28T05:00:50+00:00 2025-07-28T11:35:51+00:00
Hopkins researching danger level of foul ‘pistachio tides’ on Magothy River https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/28/hopkins-researching-danger-level-of-foul-pistachio-tides-on-magothy-river/ Mon, 28 Jul 2025 09:00:25 +0000 https://www.baltimoresun.com/?p=11579800&preview=true&preview_id=11579800 Greenish, cloudy, and with a smell like rotten eggs, “pistachio tides” are causing concern among residents who live along the Magothy River.

Magothy River Association member Bob Moyer said he went out to photograph a particularly large pistachio tide on Cattail Creek in October, and was so overwhelmed by the sulfur smell that he collapsed to his hands and knees and had to crawl off the pier.

Pistachio tides occur when bacteria in the river produce hydrogen sulfide, which depletes the oxygen in the water and creates a rotten smell. The bacteria produce a bright green color, which is where the name comes from.

Working with the river association, Johns Hopkins University is researching the bacterial booms in Cattail and Old Man creeks this summer to identify where and when they occur. Pistachio tides usually develop between August and October, and Hopkins started collecting water samples in early July to get ahead of the blooms.

Paul Spadaro, president of the Magothy River Association, is concerned about people breathing in the sulfur, especially on Cattail Creek, where recreational activity often takes place. Without any monitoring or warning system, kayakers may paddle into a pistachio tide.

“I do think people need to know that when you smell that sewer gas, it’s time to move away,” Spadaro said.

Part of Hopkins’ research this summer is to determine if there is a danger to wildlife or humans. Sulfur bacteria are naturally occurring, but stormwater and fertilizer runoff entering the creek can increase the pervasiveness of these bacteria by depleting oxygen.

In October, Spadaro said 380 fish in the Town Neck region of Cattail Creek were found dead during the pistachio tides. In September, a bloom in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor killed 24,000 fish. The Department of Natural Resources deploys continuous monitoring of these blooms in the Inner Harbor.

“It’s the sulfur bacteria’s appetite for oxygen that makes it dangerous to fish, crabs, eels, and other aquatic life that need dissolved oxygen to breathe,” said DNR program manager Cathy Wazniak.

However, Wazniak said that without long-term data on pistachio tides in the Chesapeake Bay, she could not say whether any trends exist.

“We’re in here for the pistachio tides, because they’re kind of falling under the radar,” said Sarah Preheim, an associate professor at Hopkins who is leading the research project.

Hopkins received a $312,000 grant in 2024 from the National Science Foundation to research microbial processes in the Chesapeake Bay. About $2,000 is going toward pistachio tide research on the Magothy River.

Preheim said rising overall temperatures and nutrient pollution contribute to pistachio tides because warmer water holds less oxygen, based on monitoring data from the Inner Harbor in the past decade.

Moyer, a Berrywood resident, hopes Preheim’s research will help educate residents about the blooms and encourage them to rethink where the rainwater on their property goes. In the Berrywood neighborhood, storm drains open right into the creek.

He says homeowners should fertilize their lawns late in the fall, if at all, when colder water holds more oxygen and is less susceptible to the damage caused by the fertilizer chemicals. He also wants more waterfront residents to consider putting native plants as a buffer between their lawn and the creek.

Preheim said she is focusing this summer on collecting water samples to help determine what environmental factors are causing the blooms, so that next year she can create a predictive model to help warn people when these pistachio tides might occur.

One possibility is to provide sulfur measuring strips to citizen scientists, such as those at the river association, so they can test the water themselves for sulfur levels.

“The people need to know if it’s really toxic,” Spadaro said.

Have a news tip? Contact Tori Newby at tnewby@baltsun.com.

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11579800 2025-07-28T05:00:25+00:00 2025-07-28T05:00:49+00:00
FOX45: Frederick County fisherman sets new state record with False Albacore catch https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/26/fox45-frederick-county-fisherman-sets-new-state-record-with-false-albacore-catch/ Sat, 26 Jul 2025 12:54:34 +0000 https://www.baltimoresun.com/?p=11580372 A Frederick County fisherman has set a new Maryland State record, just eight days after a 30-year-old record fell.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recognized Jack Dorman of Mt. Airy as the new state record holder for false albacore in the Atlantic Division.

Jack Dorman broke the Maryland state record for false albacore on July 20, 2025. Photo courtesy of Jack Dorman, used with permission by Maryland DNR. (Jack Dorman/Maryland DNR)
Jack Dorman broke the Maryland state record for false albacore on July 20, 2025. Photo courtesy of Jack Dorman, used with permission by Maryland DNR. (Jack Dorman/Maryland DNR)

Dorman, 22, clinched the record with a 26-pound catch, which surpassed the previous record of 23.5 pounds that was set earlier this month.

DNR said that Dorman was fishing offshore near the Jackspot and 20-Fathom Line on July 20 aboard the charter boat Game On, which was captained by Scott Stapleford, of Ocean City.

Officials said it was Dorman’s first offshore fishing trip, and he was aiming to catch a yellowfin tuna.

However, the record-setting false albacore was the first fish caught that day.

“At first I thought it was a small yellowfin, but it turned out to be the biggest false albacore I’ve ever seen,” said Captain Stapleford, via a news release.

The false albacore was weighed on a certified scale at Sunset Marina in Ocean City.

DNR said the word of the new record catch spread quickly in Ocean City’s fishing community. Kurt Howell, the captain who guided angler Timothy Saarda to the state record false albacore on July 12, called and congratulated all involved. Howell noted that the world record for false albacore is 36 pounds, which was caught in the same general area by an angler fishing out of a New Jersey port in 2006.

Dorman, a recent graduate of Salisbury University, said that the experience has him “hooked” on offshore fishing, and he will take another trip in August.

The DNR stated that false albacore have many nicknames, including Albie, Little Tunny, turkeys, and Fat Alberts, and are one of the most common tuna species in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Any anglers who believe they have caught a potential record-setting fish should complete the state record application and call 410-991-0748.

DNR recommends keeping the fish immersed in ice water to preserve its weight until it can be verified and certified.

Have a news tip? Contact Cale Ahearn at cahearn@sbgtv.com.

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11580372 2025-07-26T08:54:34+00:00 2025-07-26T09:19:38+00:00
South River High’s underwater robot deployed in search for oyster reef data https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/25/south-river-underwater-robot-oyster/ Fri, 25 Jul 2025 09:00:29 +0000 https://www.baltimoresun.com/?p=11577334&preview=true&preview_id=11577334 Equipped with a grasping arm attachment, video camera and 100-meter tether, the Power Hawks of South River High School deployed a 30-pound waterproof robot into the South River Wednesday to collect data from an oyster reef.

The robot — named Lil Blue Heron — maneuvered around an oyster reef in Glebe Bay, taking video in an attempt to monitor its growth. The Power Hawks Robotics Team 1111 and Arundel Rivers Federation worked together, taking two boats out on the river for the initial launch.

The Power Hawks had some technical difficulties, with the control panel’s chamber filling with water on its initial deployment. High schoolers Nick Pounds and Max Sprague pulled the robot out of the water and managed to fix the leak. They took out the temperature sensor, reconfigured the control panel and, in about an hour, the robot was ready to try again.

After maneuvering through the silty river water, Lil Blue Heron finally caught sight of the reef, where oyster shells have grown and attached to one another to form a combined underwater structure. The robot’s video was displayed on a laptop, and Pounds and Sprague controlled the robot’s movements with a video game controller. The Arundel Rivers Federation, which planted oysters on that reef earlier this year, will use the video to monitor the reef’s growth.

Pounds said despite the setbacks, the Power Hawks were able to “easily overcome” the challenges.

“It’s definitely a rewarding moment, being able to actually see our hard work going towards something,” Pounds said.

Due to a water leak the brains of the ROV has to be removed and repaired. The Arundel Rivers Federation has partnered with the PowerHawks Robotics team from South River High School, who designed, built, and tested an "Oyster Robot" a remotely operated vehicle created to monitor and collect data from our oyster sanctuary reef in Glebe Bay on the South River. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff)
Due to a water leak the brains of the robot has to be removed and repaired. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff)

The Power Hawks approached the Arundel Rivers Federation more than a year ago about working together, and the two organizations applied for funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

Oyster reefs are habitats for organisms like small fish and crabs, and they serve as natural water filters, consuming algae that can pollute the bay. Collecting data near the oyster reef is important to understanding the overall health of the river, said Mairin Corasaniti, outreach coordinator at Arundel Rivers Federation.

The Arundel Rivers Federation gave the Power Hawks the type of data they wanted to collect, and the high school students began building the underwater robot in the fall. After a test run in an outdoor pool earlier this summer, Wednesday was the robot’s first river launch. The partners will send Lil Blue Heron out periodically to collect additional data.

The Power Hawks are a FIRST Robotics competition team — officially titled Power Hawks Robotics Team 1111 — with 15-30 students each year who build and compete with their robots at regional and national competitions. FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

The Power Hawks most recently qualified for the FIRST Championship in 2022, where it competed against teams from all over the world and placed in the top third of the 100-plus teams.

The competition season is separate from this underwater deployment, which was the first scientific research-oriented robot the Power Hawks made.

“We see technology and the environment as almost being at opposites with each other, one coming at the cost of another, and I don’t think that really has to be the case,” Corasaniti said.

The Power Hawks apply for grants to fund their program, which can cost more than $35,000 per year, and they get some funding from Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

But, the Power Hawks are now seeing funding cuts. Usually, AACPS funds the $6,300 competition entrance fee, but that money has since been revoked, and the team is looking to supplement that through community partnerships and donations.

“We’re actually kind of clambering right now to figure out where the rest of our registration money is coming from, because the current economy has tightened a lot of strings from a lot of the companies that would normally give,” head mentor Ronny Ashley said.

Have a news tip? Contact Tori Newby at tnewby@baltsun.com.

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11577334 2025-07-25T05:00:29+00:00 2025-07-25T06:53:58+00:00
Trump’s AI plan calls for massive data centers. Here’s how it may affect energy in the US https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/24/trump-ai-plan-data-centers/ Thu, 24 Jul 2025 21:55:16 +0000 https://www.baltimoresun.com/?p=11577778&preview=true&preview_id=11577778 By ALEXA ST. JOHN, Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s plan to boost artificial intelligence and build data centers across the U.S. could speed up a building boom that was already expected to strain the nation’s ability to power it.

The White House released the “AI Action Plan” Wednesday, vowing to expedite permitting for construction of energy-intensive data centers as it looks to make the country a leader in a business that tech companies and others are pouring billions of dollars into.

The plan says to combat “radical climate dogma,” a number of restrictions — including clean air and water laws — could be lifted, aligning with Trump’s “American energy dominance” agenda and his efforts to undercut clean energy.

Here’s what you need to know.

What AI means for the environment

Massive amounts of electricity are needed to support the complex servers, equipment and more for AI. Electricity demand from data centers worldwide is set to more than double by 2030, to slightly more than the entire electricity consumption of Japan today, the International Energy Agency said earlier this year.

In many cases, that electricity may come from burning coal or natural gas. These fossil fuels emit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide and methane. This in turn is tied to extreme weather events that are becoming more severe, frequent and costly.

The data centers used to fuel AI also need a tremendous amount of water to keep cool. That means they can strain water sources in areas that may have little to spare.

What Big Tech is saying and doing about finding all that power

Typically, tech giants, up-and-comers and other developers try to keep an existing power plant online to meet demand, experts say, and most existing power plants in the U.S. are still producing electricity using fossil fuels — most often natural gas.

In certain areas of the U.S., a combination of renewables and energy storage in the form of batteries are coming online.

But tapping into nuclear power is especially of interest as a way to reduce data center-induced emissions while still meeting demand and staying competitive.

Amazon said last month it would spend $20 billion on data center sites in Pennsylvania, including one alongside a nuclear power plant. The investment allows Amazon to plug right into the plant, a scrutinized but faster approach for the company’s development timeline.

Meta recently signed a deal to secure nuclear power to meet its computing needs. Microsoft plans to buy energy from the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, and Google previously signed a contract to purchase it from multiple small modular reactors in the works.

What’s at stake in the kind of energy that powers data centers

Data centers are often built where electricity is cheapest, and often, that’s not from renewables. And sometimes data centers are cited as a reason to extend the lives of traditional, fossil-fuel-burning power plants.

But just this week, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on the world’s largest tech players to fuel their data center needs entirely with renewables by 2030. It’s necessary to use fewer fossil fuels, he said.

Experts say it’s possible for developers, investors and the tech industry to decarbonize.

However, though industry can do a lot with clean energy, the emerging demands are so big that it can’t be clean energy alone, said University of Pennsylvania engineering professor Benjamin Lee.

More generative AI, ChatGPT and massive data centers means “relying on wind and solar alone with batteries becomes really, really expensive,” Lee added, hence the attention on natural gas, but also nuclear.

What does AI growth mean for my electricity bills?

Regardless of what powers AI, the simple law of supply and demand makes it all but certain that costs for consumers will rise.

New data center projects might require both new energy generation and existing generation. Developers might also invest in batteries or other infrastructure like transmission lines.

All of this costs money, and it needs to be paid for from somewhere.

“In a lot of places in the U.S., they are seeing that rates are going up because utilities are making these moves to try to plan,” said Amanda Smith, a senior scientist at research organization Project Drawdown.

“They’re planning transmission infrastructure, new power plants for the growth and the load that’s projected, which is what we want them to do,” she added. “But we as ratepayers will wind up seeing rates go up to cover that.”

Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.


The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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11577778 2025-07-24T17:55:16+00:00 2025-07-24T18:02:29+00:00
Philanthropist Wendy Schmidt insists science and immersive media can inspire action for the planet https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/24/philanthropy-wendy-schmidt/ Thu, 24 Jul 2025 17:15:06 +0000 https://www.baltimoresun.com/?p=11576515&preview=true&preview_id=11576515 By JAMES POLLARD

NEW YORK (AP) — Technology drove the personal wealth behind many philanthropists atop the list of last year’s biggest American donors. But Wendy Schmidt and her husband, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, are fairly unusual in their insistence that the scientific advancements they fund be shared widely and for the planet’s protection.

The Silicon Valley veterans’ philanthropies, led by Wendy Schmidt, have joined the growing ranks focused on marine conservation since the Schmidt Family Foundation’s inception in 2006. With a net worth estimated to exceed $25 billion, they’re embracing that role as the Trump administration cuts billions in federal funding to scientific research.

“We work really hard to make sure science holds its place in our society,” Wendy, the president and co-founder of the Schmidt Family Foundation and Schmidt Ocean Institute, told The Associated Press. “It’s how we got where we are. It’s why we have these technologies that we’re using today.”

Her latest philanthropic venture is Agog: The Immersive Media Institute. Co-founded last year with climate journalism pioneer Chip Giller, the effort attempts to spark social change by fostering new connections with the natural world through extended reality technologies.

Grantees include “Fragile Home,” a project exploring displacement through a mixed reality headset that takes users through the past, present and future of a Ukrainian home; and Kinfolk Tech, a nonprofit that aims to help excluded communities reshape public monuments by superimposing their own digitally rendered installations onto real world spaces.

The Associated Press recently followed Wendy Schmidt on a tour of Kinfolk Tech’s Juneteenth exhibit in Brooklyn Bridge Park and spoke with her about funding scientific research. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Agog Executive Director Chip Giller, left, philanthropist Wendy Schmidt and Kinfolk Tech co-founder Idris Brewster, right, tour Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City on June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/James Pollard)
Agog Executive Director Chip Giller, left, philanthropist Wendy Schmidt and Kinfolk Tech co-founder Idris Brewster, right, tour Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City on June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

Q: What do you hope to accomplish with Agog: The Immersive Media Institute?

A: (Extended reality) has an enormous amount of power. It has a power to get inside your head. It has a power to move you and remove your ego in a way, and it puts you inside as a participant of something. You’re seeing a story rather than just being an observer. And so, it has a potential for stirring you to action.

We realized someone’s going to take this and they’re going to make it really good. And they’ll probably use it for entertainment and someone will make money with it. But maybe there’s a better way to use it. As a philanthropist, I’m thinking about what good can come out of this and how can we use this for social good and to create more empathy in the world, more connection for people.

Q: Why are you leaning into diversity and inclusion with this tool when others are rolling back similar philanthropic efforts?

A: Well, they’re not going away. Because even when you think about AI and how you program an AI, if you’re not inclusive, you’re not really serving everybody. And when you have a technology just as powerful as this one is, and those that are more powerful, they must be inclusive by design. We work with all of our grantees to make sure that we’re listening and that their voices are heard and their stories, in this case, get told by them.

Q: What is philanthropy’s role in advancing climate research when the U.S. government is reducing funding for that area?

A: We’ve frankly continued to do what we’ve always done, which is to try to be on the frontier of research and efforts to understand our planet, to share that understanding openly with more people. Because when you see something differently, your whole worldview changes. We’re finding things in the ocean we didn’t know existed at all, even five years ago. And they should change the way we think about the planet.

And so (what’s going on today in our country) is really a shame. There are many important projects that have lost funding, and you can’t save all of them. But we are doing everything we can to shore up people in our very broad network of scientists and young PhD students and post-PhD folks, researchers everywhere. We’re expanding our opportunities on Falkor (too), on the (ocean) research vessel. Most people are lacking funding. We’re helping them to have funding so they can complete their mission. We don’t think science should stop because of what’s going on here. In fact, it’s more important than ever.

As always, it’s our job as philanthropists to take risks — to do what governments and industry often won’t do anyway. You can’t do everything, but you can do a lot. Particularly when it comes to climate and climate science. Climate modeling is super important in terms of public health and the surveillance and reporting of data. When the United States isn’t doing that, there are others who can do that if you build out their architecture. And philanthropy can play a very big role in doing that.

Q: How do you restore that faith in science?

A: Experiential (media) I think is important. One of the things that Agog can do is expose people to realities that they don’t see. People accept what they see on the surface. But when you, for example, bring people along on a dive that our robot SuBastian does off of Falkor (too), and you show them a world no human eye has ever seen, and they witness what is really on the earth. And then you give them the science and tell them this is most of life on earth and that this plays this function in your life and your well-being.

We can help people make connections when we can show them things, get their attention, and reveal the most wonderful things they’ve ever seen that are here on this planet.

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

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11576515 2025-07-24T13:15:06+00:00 2025-07-24T15:45:23+00:00
Curtis Bay residents demand action after coal pollution report https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/24/curtis-bay-residents-dust-pollution/ Thu, 24 Jul 2025 10:49:54 +0000 https://www.baltimoresun.com/?p=11575732 Residents of South Baltimore’s Curtis Bay neighborhood are demanding action from corporations and regulators. A new Johns Hopkins University study links major air pollution in their community to daily operations at a CSX coal terminal.

The study, released Monday by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, found that activities at the CSX Curtis Bay Piers terminal — particularly the movement of coal by bulldozers — are major contributors to spikes in air pollution.

Researchers monitored air quality and used cameras to track coal-handling activity from July 2022 to July 2023. The results showed sharp increases in black carbon and fine particulate matter when coal was being pushed or when winds carried dust from the site into residential areas.

For many Curtis Bay residents, the findings confirmed long-standing concerns about the environmental and health impacts of living near the coal terminal.

“This new scientific evidence is not a revelation to the people who live here — it is validation,” the Community of Curtis Bay Association said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun. “Validation of the daily reality we’ve described in testimony after testimony, in letters to officials, and in community meetings over many years. We have long sounded the alarm, and yet meaningful relief has never come.”

In 2021, an explosion at the terminal covered homes in coal dust, sparking renewed outrage and prompting government investigations. Despite mitigation efforts, such as dust-suppressing water sprays and wind fences, researchers in the latest report found that these measures fall short.

Residents said the issues run deeper than the blast.

“This is not a problem that began with the CSX coal explosion — though that human-made disaster further revealed the dangerous conditions the company has allowed,” the association said. “This is a long-standing public health concern, one that our community has endured for far too long. It is a failure of corporate responsibility and of regulatory oversight, and it is far past time for meaningful action.”

CSX said in a statement to The Sun that its Curtis Bay coal pier operations meet or exceed federal and state environmental standards and that air quality in the area complies with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Citing data from a collaborative investigation reviewed by independent experts, the company said levels of particulate matter are within national safety standards.

“CSX is committed to environmental compliance and strives to protect the environment and the safety and health of the public, our customers, and employees in all aspects of our operations,” the company said in the statement.

The Curtis Bay community is urging the Maryland Department of the Environment to deny the renewal of CSX’s operating permit, which is under review. Advocates say the agency has to act on both scientific findings and the lived experiences of Curtis Bay residents.

MDE officials confirmed CSX’s last violation was in early September 2024 for dust emissions from track repair. An enforcement action in that case is pending, according to a spokesperson. The operating permit is also pending, the MDE said.

Residents vowed to continue the fight against pollution.

“The only path forward that our community finds acceptable is one that leads to a Curtis Bay free of coal dust,” the community association said. “Period.”

Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich.

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11575732 2025-07-24T06:49:54+00:00 2025-07-24T17:44:36+00:00
UN’s top court says failing to protect planet from climate change could violate international law https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/23/un-court-climate-change-decision/ Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:25:16 +0000 https://www.baltimoresun.com/?p=11573625&preview=true&preview_id=11573625 By MOLLY QUELL and MIKE CORDER, Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Nations’ top court in a landmark advisory opinion Wednesday said countries could be in violation of international law if they fail to take measures to protect the planet from climate change, and nations harmed by its effects could be entitled to reparations.

Advocates immediately cheered the International Court of Justice opinion on nations’ obligations to tackle climate change and the consequences they may face if they don’t.

“Failure of a state to take appropriate action to protect the climate system … may constitute an internationally wrongful act,” court President Yuji Iwasawa said during the hearing. He called the climate crisis “an existential problem of planetary proportions that imperils all forms of life and the very health of our planet.”

Activists demonstrate outside the International Court of Justice
Activists demonstrate outside the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don’t, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

The non-binding opinion, backed unanimously by the court’s 15 judges, was hailed as a turning point in international climate law.

Notably, the court said a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” is a human right. That paves the way for other legal actions, including states returning to the ICJ to hold each other to account as well as domestic lawsuits, along with legal instruments like investment agreements.

‘Today, the tables have turned’

The case was led by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu and backed by more than 130 countries.

All U.N. member states including major greenhouse gas emitters like the United States and China are parties to the court.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the “historic” advisory opinion.

“This is a victory for our planet, for climate justice, and for the power of young people to make a difference,” he said in a statement. “Young Pacific islanders initiated this call for humanity to the world. And the world must respond.”

Climate activists had gathered outside the crowded court with a banner that read: “Courts have spoken. The law is clear. States must ACT NOW.” They watched the ruling on a giant screen, clapping and cheering at times during the two-hour hearing.

“Today, the tables have turned. The world’s highest court provided us with a powerful new tool to protect people from the devastating impacts of the climate crisis — and to deliver justice for the harm their emissions have already caused,” former U.N. human rights chief Mary Robinson said in a statement.

“The ICJ’s decision brings us closer to a world where governments can no longer turn a blind eye to their legal responsibilities. It affirms a simple truth of climate justice: Those who did the least to fuel this crisis deserve protection, reparations, and a future,” said Vishal Prasad, director of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change.

Vulnerable island nations led the lobbying

After years of lobbying by vulnerable island nations who fear they could disappear under rising sea waters, the U.N. General Assembly asked the ICJ in 2023 for an advisory opinion, an important basis for international obligations.

Its panel was tasked with answering two questions: What are countries obliged to do under international law to protect the climate and environment from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? Second, what are the legal consequences for governments when their acts, or lack of action, have significantly harmed the climate and environment?

“The stakes could not be higher. The survival of my people and so many others is on the line,” Arnold Kiel Loughman, attorney general of the island nation of Vanuatu, told the court during a week of hearings in December.

In the decade up to 2023, sea levels rose by a global average of around 1.7 inches, with parts of the Pacific rising higher still. The world has also warmed 2.3 Fahrenheit since preindustrial times because of the burning of fossil fuels.

A sea turtle nibbles on what remains of the once vibrant reef at Havannah Harbour, off the coast of Efate Island, Vanuatu
A sea turtle nibbles on what remains of the once vibrant reef at Havannah Harbour, off the coast of Efate Island, Vanuatu, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s minister for climate change, called the ruling a “very important course correction in this critically important time. For the first time in history, the ICJ has spoken directly about the biggest threat facing humanity.”

He said the ruling exceeded his expectations. “I didn’t expect it to be good. It’s good. And it did go above and beyond,” he told reporters in The Hague.

Ruling could be leverage at next UN climate conference

Activists could bring lawsuits against their own countries for failing to comply with the decision, which ran to over 130 pages.

The senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, Erika Lennon, said the ruling also can be used as leverage at the next U.N. climate conference later this year in the Brazilian city of Belém.

“States must take this ICJ ruling and use it to advance ambitious outcomes at COP30 and beyond. People and the planet deserve it,” she said.

The United States and Russia, both of whom are major petroleum-producing states, are staunchly opposed to the court mandating emissions reductions. The Trump administration has again withdrawn the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and has made it harder to find scientific assessments of how climate change endangers the U.S. and its people.

Asked to comment on the ruling, White House spokesman Taylor Rogers said: “As always, President Trump and the entire administration is committed to putting America first and prioritizing the interests of everyday Americans.”

Those who cling to fossil fuels could go broke doing it, the U.N. secretary-general told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview this week.

Simply having the U.N. court issue an opinion is the latest in a series of legal victories for the small island nations. Earlier this month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found that countries have a legal duty not only to avoid environmental harm but also to protect and restore ecosystems. Last year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that countries must better protect their people from the consequences of climate change.

In 2019, the Netherlands’ Supreme court handed down the first major legal win for climate activists when judges ruled that protection from the potentially devastating effects of climate change was a human right and that the government has a duty to protect its citizens.

The presiding judge on Wednesday acknowledged that international law had “an important but ultimately limited role in resolving this problem,” and said a lasting solution will need the contribution of all fields of human knowledge “to secure a future for ourselves and those who are yet to come.”

Associated Press writers Annika Hammerschlag in Vanuatu and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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Republican pharmacist running for Anne Arundel council makes traffic a priority https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/23/republican-pharmacist-running-for-anne-arundel-council-makes-traffic-priority/ Wed, 23 Jul 2025 09:00:45 +0000 https://www.baltimoresun.com/?p=11572778&preview=true&preview_id=11572778 A pharmacist and business owner filed his candidacy for the District 4 seat on the Anne Arundel County Council in 2026.

Tom Wieland, a Gambrills Republican, said he aims to mitigate the swelling traffic he’s witnessed since moving to the county 40 years ago. It’s an issue he blames on increased development combined with stagnant construction of infrastructure and roads.

“When we moved here, the area that is now Waugh Chapel Towne Centre had horses there,” Wieland said of his move from Glen Burnie to the western portion of the county. “We thought we were moving out into the suburbs. Ever since then, Democrats have continually passed more high density zoning and building all along route 3 all the way up to Laurel.”

The current county executive, Steuart Pittman, is a Democrat, while the three before him were Republicans.

Wieland, 71, lost a 2022 bid for the seat in the Republican primary to Cheryl Renshaw. Current District 4 representative Julie Hummer, a Laurel Democrat, defeated Renshaw in the general election.

Hummer is finishing her first term on the council and is eligible for reelection. However she did not respond to an inquiry about whether she would be seeking another term.

The primary election is June 23, with a candidate filing deadline of Feb. 24.

Wieland owns and operates Ritchie Pharmacy in Brooklyn Park.

“I’m a business owner, we want jobs, we want businesses, but you have to have roads,” Wieland said. “They spent millions of dollars doing a study on how they’re going to fix the congestion of Route 3. Of course, nothing has happened and there’s no way they can widen it.”

Maryland transportation officials are working on a projectto improve traffic and safety along the Route 3 corridor starting in 2027. The project — three lanes going north and south from Waugh Chapel Road to Annapolis Road — is expected to cost about $35 million. Anne Arundel County is covering 20% with the state paying for the rest.

Quick to say he is not a MAGA Republican, Wieland said he intends to support parental rights and provide options for what children are — and are not — being taught in county public schools.

Among other issues he intends to focus on if elected, Wieland voiced his approval of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers deporting undocumented immigrants, but also supports providing “pathways” for some. He pointed to the newly introduced Dignity Act of 2025 in the U.S. House of Representatives as a good example. The bipartisan bill aims to let immigrants earn legal status if they meet certain requirements — like being in the U.S. since Dec. 31, 2020, or passing a criminal background check — over a period of time.

While state and local governments can pass legislation touching on immigration, the federal government holds the exclusive power to regulate immigration. In May, the Department of Homeland Security included Anne Arundel County and Annapolis in a list of cities, states and jurisdictions it said are “deliberately obstructing” the enforcement of federal immigration law. The list of “sanctuary cities” was removed shortly after.

Wieland says he’ll represent the district with small business owners and the working class in mind. He also said he’d focus on district-specific legislation.

“We need to flip the county,” he said. “If you’re a county council member, you need to concentrate on what’s going on in your district. Everybody is different, people in Arnold and Pasadena, leave them to do what they want to do. I’ll try to fix what’s going on in District 4.”

Wieland holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a degree in pharmacy from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore.

Wieland and his wife, Monica, have two children and three grandchildren.

Before his children were grown, Wieland volunteered as a scout leader and coached youth athletics. He’s currently HOA treasurer for the Four Seasons Community of Gambrills and treasurer for the North County Republican Club.

Wieland is also a trustee for the Maryland Pharmacist Association and volunteers his time oyster farming for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

“People are getting fed up with all these things in my district,” he said. “They thought they were going to move here for a nice, suburban community, it’s just not working out for them. Hopefully that’s going to inspire people to vote for me as a Republican.”

Have a news tip? Contact James Matheson at jmatheson@baltsun.com, 443-842-2344 or on X @jamesmatheson__

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Photos: Filipino couple marry in typhoon-flooded church https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/22/philippines-typhoon-flooded-church/ Tue, 22 Jul 2025 23:49:31 +0000 https://www.baltimoresun.com/?p=11573132&preview=true&preview_id=11573132 By AARON FAVILA and HARUKA NUGA

MALOLOS, Philippines (AP) — Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar were determined to walk down the aisle on their wedding day. Even if it meant walking down a flooded one.

On Tuesday, the Barasoain church in Malolos, Bulacan province, Philippines flooded due to heavy rain. Typhoon Whipa had intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the Philippines, bringing widespread flooding.

The couple anticipated the risk of flooding, but instead of letting the weather dampen the mood, they decided to push through, as all marriages have their challenges.

“We just mustered enough courage,” said Verdillo. “We decided today because it is a sacrifice in itself. But there will more sacrifices if we don’t push through today.”

Aguilar waded down the aisle with her white dress and wedding train floating behind her through waters almost up to her knees. At the altar, Verdillo was waiting to receive her while wearing an embroidered shirt called a Barong Tagalog, worn during special occasions.

The newlyweds have been together for 10 years. The groom said, “I feel that challenges won’t be over. It’s just a test. This is just one of the struggles that we’ve overcome.”

Despite the turbulent weather, some family and friends made it to the wedding.

“You will see love prevailed because even against weather, storm, rains, floods, the wedding continued,” said Jiggo Santos, a wedding guest. “It’s an extraordinary wedding.”

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