For decades, Maryland state agencies have allowed companies and others to build wastewater treatment plants, mining operations, major highways, and other projects in or near low-wealth communities and communities of color. These projects often threaten public and environmental health – but state agencies don’t fully consider how they harm people, communities, or our planet or seek meaningful input from affected communities.

Fortunately, there is a solution. The Climate Labor and Environmental Equity Act of 2023 (SB743/House bill pending), sponsored by Delegate Regina T. Boyce and Senator Michael A. Jackson, will help end environmental racism by strengthening the process to obtain permits for projects that threaten our air, land, water, and people.