Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Environment

Above and at top, otters Mac and Tuck quickly make themselves at home at the Delmarva Discovery Center. Tuck, a rescue otter, makes himself very comfortable in his new spacious home at the Delmarva Discovery Center. The Discovery Center is located in Pocomoke City. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Mar 19, 2026

Delmarva Discovery Museum on Eastern Shore to close permanently

The Delmarva Discovery Museum on Maryland's Eastern Shore announced that its last day in operation will be Friday.

Del. Dylan Behler (D-Anne Arundel) speaks during a rally on March 10, 2026, in support of his bill that would repeal Maryland’s STRIDE law, in an effort to slow utilities’ spending on natural gas pipelines, which he argues has been excessive and raised customers’ bills unnecessarily. (Photo by Christine Condon/ Maryland Matters)
Mar 11, 2026

Advocates push repeal of MD gas pipeline program they say benefits utilities, not ratepayers

Maryland advocates are pushing for STRIDE, the program that encourages utilities to upgrade aging natural gas pipelines, to be repealed altogether.

Two sailors test a hose for spraying an aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), often used to fight fuel fires on ships and in airfields, on Jan. 31. The foam is key to lawsuits filed by Maryland and South Carolina for damages caused by PFAS, the harmful "forever chemical" that is an ingredient in AFFF. (Photo by Spec. 1st Class Tyrell K. Morris/U.S. Navy via Maryland Matters)
Mar 10, 2026

MD, SC lose bid to try PFAS contamination cases in state courts

Maryland and South Carolina will have to press their cases for PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” damages against 3M Co. in federal court.

Water flows into the C&O Canal from the enhanced bypass pumping system on Feb. 21, 2026. (Louie Palu/ Agence VU — For The Washington Post)
Mar 6, 2026

Is the Potomac River safe? What to know as DC, VA begin lifting advisories.

Washington, D.C., lifted an advisory steering residents away from the Potomac River, six weeks after 240 million gallons of sewage were spilled into the waterway.

The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bought this warehouse, shown on Jan. 28, 2026, at 16220 Wright Road near Williamsport. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Mar 6, 2026

MD cabinet members send concerns to DHS about ICE detention project

Three Maryland cabinet members signed a letter to Homeland Security and ICE expressing concerns about plans to convert a warehouse into an immigrant detention facility.

A dairy cow peeks out through the fence of its enclosure at Long Green Farms on Nov. 21, 2025. (Sam Gauntt/Capital News Service)
Mar 2, 2026

What provides the power at this Cecil County farm? The cows.

The Cecil County farm that Alice and Caleb Crothers inherited in 2015 was, like many dairy farms nationwide, struggling — but now, cow manure is helping to keep it going.

Dawn Didion of Hagerstown holds a sign reading "No Detention Center" and "No cruelty" during a Washington County Indivisible protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside the Washington County Administration Building on Feb. 24, 2026. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Feb 25, 2026

MD challenges ICE warehouse purchase over environmental, health concerns

Public health and environmental concerns are among the reasons cited by Maryland's lawsuit over ICE purchasing a Washington County warehouse to serve as an immigrant detention center.

A plate of oysters is served to Baltimore elected officials following a tour of Lexington Market in 2018. (Adam Bednar file photo)
Feb 24, 2026

MD oyster season extended to aid watermen amid difficult winter

Maryland is extending the commercial oyster season to help watermen make up for lost harvesting opportunities after many waterways and parts of the Chesapeake Bay froze.

Plants are displayed at the booth of American multinational oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil during the LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 12, 2023. (REUTERS/Chris Helgren)
Feb 23, 2026

US Supreme Court to hear bid by oil companies to toss climate suits

The US Supreme Court will hear an appeal by ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy to dismiss a Colorado climate change lawsuit seeking damages for mitigation costs.

The solar panels installed on the roof of the property at 7001 Quad Ave. in Rosedale are part of an initiative from IGS Energy to help increase access to renewable energy sources for residents in support of Maryland’s 2030 Clean Energy goals. (Photo courtesy of IGS Energy)
Feb 19, 2026

MD, states sue Trump administration over funding for clean energy projects

Maryland and 12 other states are suing the federal government to force it to pay out grants approved by Congress for clean energy projects.

D.C. Water crews installed industrial pumps as part of a bypass system to try to deal with a broken pipeline in Maryland. (Courtesy of D.C. Water)
Feb 17, 2026

Trump sends feds to protect Potomac River after sewage leak, blames Moore

President Donald Trump said federal authorities will respond to a major sewage spill in Maryland, fouling the Potomac River.

Bald eagle on oyster reef. (National Fish and Wildlife Foundation)
Feb 13, 2026

Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts get $44.2M in grants 

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the EPA announced grant awards exceeding $44 million to support the Chesapeake Bay watershed.