CEQ members worked on the proposed Bill No. 118-06, which offers tax credits to residents for implementing energy efficient technologies in their homes. Although the CEQ provided suggestions for modification to improve the proposed bill, the bill has been tabled.

However, Bill No. 78-07, High Performance Buildings, was passed. This bill was a modification of Bill No. 85-06. The modifications expanded the tax credit to include the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED-NC for new construction, LEED-CS for core and shell, and LEED-EB for existing buildings. The tax credit was changed to 50 percent Silver, 60 percent Gold, and 80 percent Platinum levels. The term of the credit was reduced to five years. These changes will allow the credit to be available to most new building construction and major renovations.

In 2008, Bill No. 28-08, High Performance Homes, was passed by the Council. The tax credit is for homes meeting the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes. The amount of the credit is 15 percent Certified, 30 percent Silver, 50 percent Gold, and 75 percent Platinum levels. The term of the credit is three consecutive years. The credit is for new homes. There is not currently a LEED for Existing Homes; it is in development by USGBC.

In response to a request from Councilman S.G. Samuel Moxley, Chair of the Baltimore County Council, the CEQ reviewed the Sierra Club’s Cool Cities program – a national effort designed to empower residents and local leaders to implement smart energy solutions, save money, and build a cleaner, safer future. The Cool Cities program is a high level program that aims to protect the Earth’s climate and promote sustainable development. The major components of the Cool Cities program include: (1) conducting a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory; (2) greening vehicles; (3) increasing energy efficiency of facilities and equipment; and (4) using and supporting renewable energy.

In its report, the CEQ recommended that the County:

1. Join the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) to receive technical assistance and other support services.

2. Create a County structure to develop and implement a comprehensive policy to address climate change and sustainability. To achieve this, the County would:

• Establish a County policy to guide the Sustainability Program;
• Designate a Director of the County Sustainability Program; and
• Establish a Public-Private Sustainability Workgroup, which would work with the Director of the County Sustainability Program and ICLEI in implementing specific program components. Suggested participants on the Workgroup include, at a minimum, representatives from the Office of Budget and Finance, Purchasing Bureau; the Department of Public Works, Bureaus of Building and Equipment Services, Engineering and Construction, and Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning; the Office of Planning; and the Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management, among others. 

3. At a minimum, include in the County Sustainability Program, the core programs of Sierra Club’s Cool Cities:

• Conduct a GHG emissions inventory;
• Green the County’s fleet of vehicles and consider GHG emissions in the transportation planning process;
• Increase energy efficiency of County owned and operated facilities and equipment; and
• Procure and foster the use of renewable energy, credits, and technologies.

4. Encourage, educate, and develop an incentive approach for County employees and citizens to conserve energy. Design and implement a public outreach and education program about ways that citizens can reduce GHG emissions.

In response to public concern in the Stoneleigh Community over removal of mature street trees, in August 2007, the CEQ was asked to look into county practices and procedures for the removal of roadside trees, and make recommendations on what might be done to improve current procedures. The Committee met with the Department of PublicWorks/DPW and discussed compliance with regulations, documentation, and resident education. DPW had a positive response to further work with the Committee on alternatives to removal and providing information to residents – including a web fact sheet, improved brochure, and a list of appropriate replacement street trees. 

The CEQ reviewed Baltimore County’s 10-year Solid Waste Plan and developed a report outlining these key initiatives:

• Add toxicity to its mission statement and develop a comprehensive household hazardous waste management policy and programs.
• Increase recycling to include public buildings, multi-dwelling residential apartments, hospitals, and public universities.
• Assess different alternatives for recycling more plastics.
• Expand collection at Western Acceptance Facility (WAF) and other feasible sites for electronics reuse/recycling.
• Implement a single point resource recovery center in Baltimore County for construction debris.
• Publish actual amounts of waste ending up at BRESCO, Eastern Sanitary Landfill (ESL), Western Acceptance Facility (WAF), Baltimore County Resource Recovery Facility (BCRRF), and out of state.
• The CEQ recommends use of the current EPA hierarchy for managing the waste stream to reduce, recycle, and then dispose.