SB 978

Environmental Permits - Requirements for Public Participation and Impact and Burden Analyses (Cumulative Harms to Environmental Restoration for Improving Shared Health - CHERISH Our Communities Act)

Sponsor: Clarence K. Lam (District 12)Committee: Education, Energy, and the EnvironmentSubject: EnvironmentStatus: Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m. (as of Dec 1, 2025)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Applying certain public participation requirements to permits for projects that have been identified by the Department of the Environment as having an increased potential for adverse community environmental and public health impacts; requiring a person applying for certain environmental permits for certain projects with an increased potential to cause adverse community environmental and public health impacts to include in the permit application an environmental impact analysis; etc.

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Analysis reads the bill text, the fiscal note, and the witness list. It is generated by Claude and reviewed by nobody, so check the source documents before you rely on it.

Testimony (0)

MGA witness list

FAV 87FavorableFWA 1Favorable with amendmentsUNF 14UnfavorableINFO 1Information only

Position	Witness	Organization	Testimony
FAV	Gilden, Robyn	Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments	Written (PDF)
FAV	Bucic, Sarah	Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE)	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Bassett, Elle	Arundel Rivers Federation	Written (PDF)
FAV	Brown, Jim	Audubon Mid-Atlantic	Written (PDF)
FAV	Porter, Phylicia	Baltimore City Council District 10	Written (PDF)
FAV	Snyder, Abigaillobbyist	Baltimore Jewish Council	Written (PDF)
FAV	Coronado Flores, Jose	CASA	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Jones, David	CCBA	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Smith, Noble	CEJSC	Written (PDF)
FAV	pool, walkiria	Centro de Apoyo Familiar	Written (PDF)
FAV	Stegman, Matt	Chesapeake Bay Foundation	Written (PDF)
FAV	McKay, Jill	Chesapeake Earth Holder Community	Written (PDF)
FAV	Cheng, Joyce	Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility	Written (PDF)
FAV	DuBois, Gwen	Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility	Written (PDF)
FAV	Fitzgerald, Terrence	Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility	Written (PDF)
FAV	Kunze, Jenniferlobbyist	Clean Water Action	Written (PDF)
FAV	Demiray, Sonia	Climate Communications Coalition	Written (PDF)
FAV	McGilvray, Laurie	Climate Justice Wing of the Maryland Legislative Coalition	Written (PDF)
FAV	Sawtell, Greg	Community of Curtis Bay Association	Oral
FAV	Shaneyfelt, Angela	Community of Curtis Bay Association	Oral
FAV	Thompson, Tiffany	Community of Curtis Bay Association	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Hudson, Lee	Delaware-Maryland Synod, ELCA	Written (PDF)
FAV	Rintelmann, Rachel	Earthjustice	Written (PDF)
FAV	Stewart, Frances	Elders Climate Action Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Buster, Zack	Environmental Justice Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Bartolomeo, Kathleen	GCAN, MCRT	Position only
FAV	N/A, Healthy Climate Maryland	Healthy Climate Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Feighner, Liz	HoCo Climate Action	Written (PDF)
FAV	Smith, Virginia	Indivisible HoCo Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Orozco, Andrea	Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVa)	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Singer, Elizabeth	Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Federation of Howard County	Written (PDF)
FAV	Aubourg, Matthew	Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health	Oral
FAV	Heaney, Christopher	Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health	Oral
FAV	Rule, Ana	Johns Hopkins School of Public Health	Oral
FAV	Smith, Genee	Johns Hopkins School of Public Health	Position only
FAV	Exum, Natalie	Johns Hopkins University	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Putcha, Nirupama	Johns Hopkins University	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Wills-Karp, Marsha	Johns Hopkins University	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Huber, Michaellobbyist	Johns Hopkins University & Medicine	Written (PDF)
FAV	O’Mara Vignarajah, Krish	Krish O’Mara Vignarajah	Written (PDF)
FAV	Webster, Phil	Legislative body for the Unitarian Universalist faith, C/O Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis	Written (PDF)
FAV	Feighner, Liz	Liz Feighner, self	Position only
FAV	Zelaya, Michellelobbyist	Maryland Catholic Conference	Written (PDF)
FAV	Simon, Robert	Maryland Catholics for Our Common Home	Written (PDF)
FAV	Bartock, Laura	Maryland Climate Partners	Written (PDF)
FAV	Magos Gonzalez, Eliseo	Maryland League of Conservation Voters	Written (PDF)
FAV	Rehr, Rebeccalobbyist	Maryland League of Conservation Voters	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Plante, Cecilia	Maryland Legislative Coalition	Written (PDF)
FAV	Monteverde, Jay	Namati	Written (PDF)
FAV	Ostdahl, Maggielobbyist	National Aquarium	Written (PDF)
FAV	McCarthy, Angie	Nature Forward	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Duckett-Randolph, Neka	Out 4 Justice	Written (PDF)
FAV	Habib, Imanlobbyist	Progressive Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Fox, Mary	Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute	Written (PDF)
FAV	Middleton, Michael	SB7 Coalition	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Middleton, Michael	SB7 Coalition	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Shriner, Mariahlobbyist	Sierra Club Maryland Chapter	Written (PDF)
FAV	Roberts, Brother Ryan	Sisters of Mercy of the Americas	Position only
FAV	Sharif, Humnalobbyist	The Nature Conservancy	Written (PDF)
FAV	McNair, Lee	Unitarian Universalist Environmental Justice Ministry	Position only

Showing 60 of 103

Organizations on record

Alliance of Nurses for Healthy EnvironmentsFAV 1

Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE)FAV 1

Arundel Rivers FederationFAV 1

Audubon Mid-AtlanticFAV 1

Baltimore City Council District 10FAV 1

Baltimore Jewish CouncilFAV 1

Brandywine | TB Southern Region Neighborhood Coalition / Executive Community Citizen's Board (ECCB)UNF 1

Brandywine TB Southern Region Neighborhood CoalitionUNF 1

CASAFAV 1

CCBAFAV 1

CEJSCFAV 1

Centro de Apoyo FamiliarFAV 1

Chesapeake Bay FoundationFAV 1

Chesapeake Earth Holder CommunityFAV 1

Chesapeake Physicians for Social ResponsibilityFAV 3

Clean Water ActionFAV 1

Climate Communications CoalitionFAV 1

Climate Justice Wing of the Maryland Legislative CoalitionFAV 1

Community of Curtis Bay AssociationFAV 3

Delaware-Maryland Synod, ELCAFAV 1

Delmarva Chicken AssociationUNF 1

EarthjusticeFAV 1

Elders Climate Action MarylandFAV 1

Environmental Justice MarylandFAV 1

GCAN, MCRTFAV 1

Healthy Climate MarylandFAV 1

HoCo Climate ActionFAV 1

Indivisible HoCo MarylandFAV 1

Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVa)FAV 1

Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Federation of Howard CountyFAV 1

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthFAV 2

Johns Hopkins School of Public HealthFAV 2

Johns Hopkins UniversityFAV 3

Johns Hopkins University & MedicineFAV 1

Krish O’Mara VignarajahFAV 1

Legislative body for the Unitarian Universalist faith, C/O Unitarian Universalist Church of AnnapolisFAV 1

Liz Feighner, selfFAV 1

Maryland Asphalt AssociationUNF 1

Maryland Association of Municipal Wastewater AgenciesUNF 1

Maryland Building Industry AssociationUNF 2

Maryland Catholic ConferenceFAV 1

Maryland Catholics for Our Common HomeFAV 1

Maryland Climate PartnersFAV 1

Maryland Farm BureauUNF 1

Maryland League of Conservation VotersFAV 2

Maryland Legislative CoalitionFAV 1

MDEINFO 1

MTBMAUNF 1

NAIOP MarylandUNF 1

NamatiFAV 1

National AquariumFAV 1

Nature ForwardFAV 1

Out 4 JusticeFAV 1

Progressive MarylandFAV 1

Risk Sciences and Public Policy InstituteFAV 1

SB7 CoalitionFAV 2

Sierra Club Maryland ChapterFAV 1

Sisters of Mercy of the AmericasFAV 1

Smith Industries, Inc.UNF 1

The Nature ConservancyFAV 1

Unitarian Universalist Environmental Justice MinistryFAV 1

YearFAV 1

Registered lobbyists who testified

FAVSnyder, AbigailBaltimore Jewish CouncilRegistered for: Baltimore Jewish Council

FAVKunze, JenniferClean Water ActionRegistered for: Clean Water Action

FAVHuber, MichaelJohns Hopkins University & MedicineRegistered for: Johns Hopkins

FAVZelaya, MichelleMaryland Catholic ConferenceRegistered for: Maryland Catholic Conference

FAVRehr, RebeccaMaryland League of Conservation VotersRegistered for: Maryland League of Conservation Voters

FAVOstdahl, MaggieNational AquariumRegistered for: National Aquarium

FAVHabib, ImanProgressive MarylandRegistered for: Progressive Maryland

FAVShriner, MariahSierra Club Maryland ChapterRegistered for:

FAVSharif, HumnaThe Nature ConservancyRegistered for: Nature Conservancy, The

UNFMiddleton, GraysonDelmarva Chicken AssociationRegistered for: Delmarva Chicken Association

UNFOchsenhirt, LisaMaryland Association of Municipal Wastewater AgenciesRegistered for: Maryland Association of Municipal Wastewater Agencies; Maryland Municipal Stormwater Association…

UNFGraf, LoriMaryland Building Industry AssociationRegistered for: Maryland Building Industry Association

UNFHough, TylerMaryland Farm BureauRegistered for: Maryland Farm Bureau