History

On March 9, 2001, Governor Parris Glendening established the Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities (CEJSC) in accordance with an executive order mandated on January 1, 2001.

The Maryland CEJSC Executive Order is the first one ever to be issued by any state.

It is consistent with the approach taken by the federal government in Executive Order #12898 issued by President Clinton on February 11, 1994. The Commission was to meet for a 2-year period and at the end of that period, members were to report back to the Governor.

Environmental justice seeks equal protection from environmental and public health hazards for all people regardless of race, income, culture, and social-economic class. Under this law, no one group of people should bear a disproportionate amount of negative environmental consequences resulting from land use, planning or zoning decisions, or governmental or commercial operations.

The Commission held it inaugural meeting on May 11, 2001.

It held its first community forum on December 21, 2001. Residents from the Forks of the Patuxent Improvement Association were invited to testify before the Commission, as were representatives from other communities in Maryland.

Several legislators who attended that forum were Senators Robert Neal and Ulysses Currie and Delegates Janet Greenip and David Boschert.

The Commission adopted the Maryland Department of the Environment's (MED) Strategic Plan on CEJSC.

Updated as of August 2005:

The purpose of the commission is to act as an advisory group to research, educate, and bring about awareness on issues and make recommendations to the Governor, Legislature, and State agencies annually.

Members of who presently sit on the Commission:

Scot T. Spencer, Chair/Annie E. Casey Foundation
Senator Ulysses Currie/State Senate Appointment
Elizabeth Bobo/House of Delegates Appointment
Kendl Philbrick, Secy/MDE
Anthony McCann, Secy/Maryland Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene
Audrey Scott, Secy/Maryland Dept. of Planning
Barbara Sattler, University of Maryland, School of Nursing
TBD/Community Law Center
TBD/Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse
Bill Stack/Baltimore City Dept. of Public Works
TBD/Town of Easton
Andrew Fellows/Clean Water Action
TBD/Baltimore Communities for EJ
TBD/Project Groundwork USA
TBD/Prince Georges County Community Group

Present members will serve until the Governor appoints new members.

This Commission is in the very early stages of development. Since its beginning, a number of good things have taken place.

· Members of the community along with the Commission were invited, by Delegate Clarence Davis (Baltimore County), to speak before the Legislative Black Caucus in the Fall of 2002.

· On March 17, 2003, House Bill #970 was introduced by Delegate Clarence C. Davis before the Committee on Environmental Matters, to continue the Commission. Residents of the Forks of the Patuxent Improvement Association, as well as others, testified in favor of the Bill. The Bill was approved and an Executive Order has been signed by Governor Ehrlich to continue its work for another 3 years.

This is a small, but important, victory for the State of Maryland and its residents.