For Immediate Release: Wednesday, October 6, 2021
The Committee will discuss water quality issues, noise enforcement, Montgomery County’s Climate Action Plan and recycling and resource management issues
The Transportation and Environment (T&E) Committee will meet on Thursday, October 7 at 1:30 p.m. to receive a briefing from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and discuss water quality issues, noise enforcement, Montgomery County’s Climate Action Plan and recycling and resource management issues.
The members of the T&E Committee include Chair and Council President Tom Hucker and Councilmembers Evan Glass and Hans Riemer.
More detail on the agenda is provided below.
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Update
Briefing: The T&E Committee will receive an update from DEP on the status of water quality issues, noise enforcement, Montgomery County’s Climate Action Plan and recycling and resource management.
Status of the NPDES-MS4 Permit and DEP’s Stormwater Management CIP
The Committee will get an update on the status of DEP’s Pollution Discharge Elimination System Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (NPDES-MS4) Permit and Stormwater Management CIP. On June 29, 2020, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) submitted its draft NPDES-MS4 permit for Montgomery County to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A tentative determination of the draft permit was issued in October 2020, and the expected date for issuance of the final permit is now expected to be late 2021 or January 2022.
Noise Enforcement Issues
DEP enforces the County’s noise law and has been responding to a rise in urban noise-related complaints in recent years as more residential housing is built in and around active urban centers. The department reports that it receives a significant number of complaints from residential properties due to noise from lawn care equipment, including leaf blowers and lawn mowers.
Climate Action Plan
At the request of Council President Hucker, DEP will continue the briefing on the County’s Climate Action Plan that was held on September 21, 2021. The discussion is expected to include state and federal climate change initiatives and the DEP’s FY22 climate change workplan.
Recycling and Resource Management (RRM)
The department is also expected to discuss food waste initiatives including the residential food waste pilot, commercial food waste program and backyard composting. This will include the materials recovery facility (MRF) and transfer station capital project updates, recycling market revenue trends, the Pay as You Throw pilot and an analysis of potential landfilling options for waste disposal.
Those expected to attend and provide information include Adam Ortiz, director, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); Patty Bubar, deputy director, DEP; Frank Dawson, chief, Watershed Restoration Division, DEP; Stan Edwards, chief, Division of Energy, Climate, and Compliance, DEP; Willie Wainer, chief, Division of Recycling and Resource Management; Melanie Wenger, director, Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR); Amy Samman, OIR; Sara Morningstar, OIR; and Rich Harris, Office of Management and Budget.
The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
The Council and committees are meeting via Zoom this fall because of ongoing construction and technology upgrades in the Council's Hearing Room and the inability to conduct meetings in a socially distant way in other areas of the Council Office Building with television broadcast capacity. Councilmembers will continue to hold meetings in their offices by appointment.
The virtual Council and Committee meetings will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.
Release ID: 21-389