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Environmental Groups Battle Hogan Over MD Clean Air Regulations

Dave Johnson
/
creative commons

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Two groups have gone to court to try to implement clean-air regulations they say are being blocked by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's administration.

The Sierra Club and Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility filed a lawsuit Thursday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. They argue the regulations against smog would protect the public by reducing pollution from coal-fired power plants.

The Maryland Department of the Environment adopted the regulations days before Hogan, a Republican, took office. The plaintiffs say Hogan tossed out the regulations when he took office.

Ben Grumbles, who heads the department, says the administration is taking new steps that will be equal to or greater than those proposed earlier.

He says the department is committed to winning the battle against smog "in the smartest and fairest way possible."

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.