Maryland legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Maryland HB1268: Environmental Permits - Requirements for Burden Analysis, Issuance and Renewal, and Public Participation (Cumulative Harms for Environmental Restoration for Improving Shared Health - CHERISH Our Communities Act)
Status: In committee, March 13, 2026
Requiring an application for the issuance or renewal of a covered individual environmental permit for a site or facility located within an at-risk census tract after a certain date to include in the permit application a report describing the environmental and public health burdens in the at-risk census tract; requiring the Department of the Environment to issue a determination as to whether approving a covered individual environmental permit will cause or contribute to adverse environmental or public health stressors; etc.
What the bill says
A bill ENTITLED AN ACT concerning Environmental Permits - Requirements for Burden Analysis, Issuance and Renewal, and Public Participation (Cumulative Harms for Environmental Restoration for Improving Shared Health - CHERISH Our Communities Act) FOR the purpose of requiring an application for the issuance or renewal of a certain individual environmental permit for a site or facility located within a certain at-risk census tract submitted on or after a certain date to include in the permit application a report describing certain environmental and public health burdens in a certain manner…
From the introduced text, February 12, 2026:
A BILL ENTITLED AN ACT concerning Environmental Permits - Requirements for Burden Analysis, Issuance and Renewal, and Public Participation (Cumulative Harms for Environmental Restoration for Improving Shared Health - CHERISH Our Communities Act) FOR the purpose of requiring an application for the issuance or renewal of a certain individual environmental permit for a site or facility located within a certain at-risk census tract submitted on or after a certain date to include in the permit application a report describing certain environmental and public health burdens in a certain manner; requiring the Department of the Environment to make certain determinations as to whether approving a certain environmental permit will cause or contribute to adverse environmental or public health stressors affecting a certain at-risk census tract in a certain manner; specifying the circumstances under which the Department must deny an application for the issuance or renewal of certain individual environmental permits unless certain conditions are met; requiring the Department to prepare a tentative determination of certain determinations required under this Act in a certain manner and requiring that certain materials related to the tentative determination be part of the record for certain judicial review; requiring the Department to follow certain procedures during each renewal of certain statewide general environmental permits; specifying that certain requirements for public participation and judicial review apply to …