Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

While many factors contribute to Bay pollution, according to the EPA, agriculture is the single largest source of nutrient and sediment pollution entering the Bay. Every year, chicken farms produce hundreds of thousands of tons of chicken waste in Maryland, which contains twice the concentration of pollutants per pound than other forms of animal waste, so its effects are more severe when it enters the Bay. Doug has outlined a range of renewable proposals that are good for our agricultural economy and good for the environment, including "InnoBaytion grants" for alternative energy projects that reduce pollution, and Farm Renewable Energy Credits.

"Protecting the Bay should not come at the expense of our farmers and our agriculture industry. Through responsible investment in renewable energy ideas, we can both support our farmers and preserve the health of the Bay."

As Attorney General, Doug has made protecting the Bay and holding polluters accountable one of his top priorities. He successfully fought to ensure that any energy generation from chicken litter would not create new environmental problems by getting arsenic removed from chicken feed, so that chicken waste would no longer contain that damaging pollutant. Gansler also championed the effort to construct the first major Maryland power plant using chicken-litter-to-energy to generate at least 10 MW of electricity. The plant will create 200 construction jobs and reduce 230,000 pounds of nitrogen runoff into the Bay annually.

Still, more needs to be done. As governor, Doug will build on his record of working to protect our environment and the jobs and industries that depend on a clean, thriving Chesapeake Bay.

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