Adam Willis

Baltimore, North Dakota

Environment Reporter at The Baltimore Banner

Reporter, @BaltimoreBanner | Previously western North Dakota for @inforum [email protected]

Articles

A new Mr. Trash Wheel? City wastewater settlement funds environmental projects

1 week ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Adam Willis

Could any good come from the recent disastrous lapses at Baltimore’s two wastewater treatment plants? City and state leaders think so. Officials announced Tuesday that Back River in Baltimore County, impaired by pollution from the city’s largest wastewater plant there, will become home to a new member in the family of googly-eyed trash wheels famous for collecting litter in the harbor.
Facing landowner wall, power line developer will seek court order to survey route

2 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Adam Willis

The developer behind a large transmission line that has become a lightning rod across rural Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties plans to seek court permission to survey properties after being denied access by landowners along its proposed route for months.
Maryland approves plan to fast-track power plants, override local solar bans

2 weeks ago | myeasternshoremd.com | Adam Willis

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland lawmakers approved a sweeping package of energy bills Monday aimed at getting a handle on soaring household utility prices and boosting in-state power generation in the face of mounting demand. The energy plan became a top priority for Maryland’s Democratic leadership this session, and Senate President Bill Ferguson described the final product last week as “the most comprehensive energy package” state lawmakers have passed in two to three decades.
Maryland lawmakers approve end of clean energy subsidies for trash incinerators

2 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Adam Willis

The Maryland General Assembly voted Monday to end a policy that has paid tens of millions of dollars in clean-energy subsidies in recent years to power plants that generate electricity by burning trash. The proposal, which received final approval Monday from the Senate as part of a sweeping energy bill, comes as Maryland looks to slash energy-sector emissions to curb climate change. The legislation, introduced by Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne A.
Maryland approves plan to fast-track power plants, override local solar bans

2 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Adam Willis

Maryland lawmakers approved a sweeping package of energy bills Monday aimed at getting a handle on soaring household utility prices and boosting in-state power generation in the face of mounting demand. The energy plan became a top priority for Maryland’s Democratic leadership this session, and Senate President Bill Ferguson described the final product last week as “the most comprehensive energy package” state lawmakers have passed in two to three decades.
Moore’s executive order could delay fines for car companies as EV sales lag

2 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Adam Willis

Gov. Wes Moore issued an executive order Friday that would allow his administration to punt fines on car companies that fall short of Maryland’s electric vehicle mandates, acknowledging that EV sales remain well short of state ambitions. The governor’s directive came as legislation to similar effect has worked its way through the General Assembly but met intense opposition from climate advocates. The bill faces a looming deadline with the end of session on Monday.
Baltimore nonprofit sues EPA over $160M in cancelled and frozen funds

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Adam Willis

A Baltimore nonprofit focused on lead remediation and childhood asthma is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleging the Trump administration has illegally cancelled and frozen tens of millions of dollars in grant funding in its attack on programs that support poor and overlooked communities.
Maryland legislation aims to address rising energy prices

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Adam Willis

For years, Maryland has depended on importing vast amounts of electricity generated over state lines. But as residents’ utility billshave skyrocketed and as the region faces forecasts for ballooning electricity demand in the years ahead, Maryland lawmakers have questioned the sustainability of this arrangement. In a General Assembly session consumed by budget problems and federal cutbacks, state leaders also have obsessed over how to address mounting energy challenges.
The long-closed Lake Montebello loop is reopening - for now

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Adam Willis

Around town Friday morning, the air is warming up, green leaves have burst through tree buds, the Orioles are 1-0 and a gaping, six-story hole beside a beloved Northeast Baltimore lake is, finally, gone. The sinkhole beside Lake Montebello, which began forming in November 2022, has been filled in, Baltimore’s Department of Public Works announced Friday. That means the complete 1.3-mile path that surrounds the reservoir will reopen to walkers, runners, rollerbladers and bikers Saturday morning.
As electric vehicle sales lag, Maryland might punt fines for car companies

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Adam Willis |Daniel Zawodny

Two years ago, Maryland began a years-long effort to phase out sales of gas-powered vehicles, part of its fight against climate change. Now it might become the first state in a national coalition to ease the pressure on car companies to electrify. Under the Maryland program, part of the California-led Clean Cars II emissions standards, nearly half of new cars that roll off dealership lots need to be electric by the fall of 2026 or auto manufacturers could face fines.