After a very busy term coping with upheaval related to the COVID-19 pandemic and unacceptable police brutality and glaring inequities in our society, the Prince George’s County Council has retired for their August recess. The Council Members deserve our thanks for working long and hard on a host of issues, from establishing new systems for working remotely and ensuring that county workers are safe and paid to increasing social services for people hit hard by economic consequences of the pandemic. Using virtual sessions, the County Council also found time to follow through with hearings on environmental bills that had been introduced early in the year. Along with other interested county residents, members of the Prince George’s Sierra Club have provided testimony in support of better environmental policies at the county level. 

On behalf of the Prince George’s Sierra Club, Chair Janet Gingold testified in support of the Resolution to Create a Commission to Develop a Climate Action Plan, which passed  in June. The work of the Commission will begin this fall. Another bill introduced by District 1 Council Member Tom Dernoga, CB-008-2020, would bring Prince George’s pesticide regulations into alignment with Montgomery County’s rules, strengthen rules regarding notification and signage when pesticides are used, prohibit use of more toxic agents on lawns and places where children play, require parks to develop new protocols for pest management using less toxic agents especially on playing fields, and create a pesticide-free parks program. Gingold’s testimony on behalf of the Sierra Club emphasized the adverse health impacts of pesticide use and their contribution to chronic diseases that disproportionately affect Black and Brown Prince George’s residents. She also made suggestions for strengthening provisions to ensure that more toxic agents are only used in cases where pests threaten human health or pose a danger of severe economic loss. Margaret Boles and other members of the public also spoke in strong support of the bill. However, several landscapers expressed concern about the negative impact the new regulations would have on their businesses and the health officer expressed concern about how new requirements for the health department would be funded. This bill will be revisited in the fall. Let your Council Members (your own District Member and At-Large Members Hawkins and Franklin) know how you feel about pesticide regulations in Prince George’s County by using this Action Alert. 

Martha Ainsworth, Chair of the Zero Waste Committee, and her team reviewed the draft of the updated 10-year Solid Waste Management Plan for 2020-2029, to prepare the Sierra Club’s testimony on County Resolution CR-050-2020, which would adopt the plan. Ainsworth’s testimony applauded some efforts such as trash collection policies that encourage residents to recycle and compost while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the introduction of an optical sorter for the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), bans on items that can’t be recycled, and not using mixed waste composting, i.e. combining trash with compost (“dirty “MRF”).  Her testimony also cautioned that although we support the extension of the landfill, we want to see independent testing using better measures to monitor and reduce methane leakage, and that we need a firmer commitment and a timet

And finally, Vice Chair Lily Fountain testified on the need for property tax incentives for grocery stores that locate in healthy food priority areas (CB-008-2020) to increase food justice in Prince George’s county. The pandemic has revealed how the communities hardest hit are often the same communities that lack access to fresh produce, meats, and other wholesome foods. This bill passed the Committee of the Whole unanimously, was signed by the County Executive, and will become law effective September 8, 2020.able for the expansion of curbside food scrap collection for County residents. The Solid Waste Management Plan will be considered by the Committee of the Whole in September.    

We need new volunteers who are interested in following the actions of the County Council and providing input to improve County environmental policy and land-use decisions. Contact janet.gingold@mdsierra.org to learn more about how to get involved when the Council returns in the Fall.