High gasoline prices, a slow economy and – ironically enough – a cool summer caused U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to fall nearly 3% in 2008 from 2007 levels, the Environmental Protection Agency reported today.

It’s the largest year-over-year drop that the EPA has recorded since it began tracking greenhouse gas emissions in 1990.

The 2009 decline will likely be even steeper: The federal Energy Information Administration reported this month that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, the major driver of American greenhouse gas emissions, fell more than 6% from 2008 to 2009.

Information collected by one of the largest navigation services provider says Maryland ranks first in the nation for GPS navigation usage.

The state uses the technology twice as much as the national average.

President Obama and the Supreme Court have waded again into unfamiliar and strikingly personal territory.

When Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. told law students in Alabama on Tuesday that the timing of Obama’s criticism of the court during the State of the Union address was “very troubling,” the White House pounced. It shot back with a new denouncement of the court’s ruling that allowed a more active campaign role for corporations and unions.

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 10, 2010) –Governor Martin O’Malley announced today new assistance for poultry farmers in Maryland, as the state works with poultry industry stakeholders to address environmental standards and recover from snow-related damage last month.  Governor O’Malley met with the Eastern Shore delegation Monday evening, along with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment to discuss concerns and solutions.

“We’re working together to find solutions that protect our natural resources and strengthen family farming in our state,” said Governor O’Malley.  “Maryland farmers serve as stewards of the environment by protecting land that might otherwise be developed.  It’s our obligation to find way we can continue to protect the environment while keeping family farming profitable.  I’m pleased we’re able to come together on these actions to support our family farms and the jobs that support them.”

The Treasury Department sank billions into auto finance giant GMAC Inc. without an exit strategy or proof the company was viable _ a decision that could cost taxpayers $6.3 billion, a new watchdog report says.

The government said the $17.2 billion bailout was a necessary step to save troubled automakers General Motors and Chrysler. GMAC provides critical financing to auto dealers, who borrow to finance their fleets until the cars can be sold to consumers.

Yet GMAC faced far fewer conditions than the bailed-out automakers, the report says. When the automakers were rescued, they were forced into bankruptcy. Shareholders lost their investments, creditors took a hit and executives were forced to detail plans for making the companies viable.

Many states added jobs in January, but Maryland - a latecomer to the dour recession party that has undergone a shorter period of job loss - wasn’t among them.

Maryland employers cut 2,500 jobs in January, the 18th straight month of losses in this two-year-old recession, the Labor Department estimated Wednesday. The state’s unemployment rate rose from 7.4 percent in December to 7.5 percent in January, a new high-water mark not seen since the spring of 1983.

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A half-dozen fee increases on court services are moving through the General Assembly at a time when the state is facing its own $2 billion shortfall and has little to give struggling social causes. The most sweeping change - a 50 percent jump in some civil case filing charges - unanimously passed the Senate this week and is being debated by a House of Delegates committee.
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Money raised from the increased fees would go to domestic violence shelters and to lawyers who provide free assistance in foreclosures filings, child custody battles and other civil matters. Legal aid revenue has been walloped by the bad economy even as those services are more in demand than ever, advocates say.

Traffic fines could go up, too, under a proposal to add a $7.50 charge that would help pay for state police helicopters and volunteer fire company equipment.

Several dead bats and over two hundred visibly affected bats were found during a survey conducted in an Allegany County cave near Cumberland on March 5. The bats observed during the survey exhibited a white fungus concentrated around the muzzle of the infected bats. The findings are consistent with White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) and if confirmed, this will be Maryland’s first documented occurrence of the disease.

“Many biologists suspect that the WNS fungus, Geomyces destructans, is a non-native pathogen recently introduced to the United States,” said Dana Limpert, DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service ecologist and bat expert. “Fortunately WNS is not known to be harmful to humans. Unfortunately there is no known cure for bats infected with the disease, so our priority is preventing the spread of this deadly syndrome to other bat caves or hibernacula.”

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The new partnership is designed specifically to raise financial support and awareness for Charles County’s only not for profit hospital.  Through the partnership, Civista will be taking advantage of unique promotional events the stadium and the Blue Crabs provide, including five “Civista Health Nights” for Blue Crab home games, access to skybox suites rentals for home games, signage throughout the ballpark, a 5K walk/run, a golf tournament, and plans for a 2010 World Cup Soccer Fan Fest Celebration on June 12 at the stadium.  Complete details about the activities of the partnership will be available on Civista’s website on April 1.  (www.civista.org.) 

The same prudence which in private life would forbid our paying our own money for unexplained projects, forbids it in the dispensation of the public moneys. ~~Thomas Jefferson

Maryland needs to strengthen its “rainy day” reserve fund to prepare for future budget crises, a state senator testified Wednesday at the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.

Sen. Jim Rosapepe, D-Prince George’s, was speaking in support of his bill that would divert unexpected budget surpluses—extra money that the state’s analysts had not projected—into the rainy day fund until it swells from 5 to 22.5 percent of general fund revenues.

“The whole point of it is to save money in good times to cushion impacts in bad times,” Rosapepe said in an interview before the bill hearing.

The General Assembly has been reluctant to raise taxes in an election year, but 39 legislators across both chambers are cosponsoring an act that would place a 5-cent tax on disposable carryout bags.

The Chesapeake Bay Restoration Consumer Retail Choice Act would require Maryland businesses to tack the 5-cent fee onto each disposable bag used by a customer.

Businesses stand to receive a penny per bag sold, unless they offer a 5-cent credit to customers who provide reusable bags when checking out. Businesses offering the credit would receive 2 cents for every bag sold. The rest would go to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund.

Supporters of a dime-a-drink tax told a Senate committee Wednesday they need the fee in order to provide essential funds for mental health, disabilities and substance abuse programs to Marylanders. But opponents claimed the alcohol tax would deprive retailers of their livelihood in the midst of an economic recession.

The Lorraine Sheehan Health and Community Services Act of 2010, which was presented to the Senate Budget and Taxation committee, would tax each drink of alcohol an extra 10 cents.

The proceeds of the tax would go towards health care, substance abuse treatment and prevention, and developmental disabilities support, or into the state’s general fund.

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced Tuesday that his Consumer Protection Division, along with consumer protection agencies from 34 other states and the Federal Trade Commission, has reached a settlement with LifeLock, Inc., a Tempe, Arizona-based identity theft protection provider, concerning the company’s advertising practices.

LifeLock sold its identity theft services through advertisements that claimed its services were “guaranteed” to protect consumers’ personal information and prevent criminals from using that information to open accounts in their names. Some ads even included CEO Todd Davis’ Social Security number, which Davis said, showed “how confident I am in LifeLock’s proactive identity theft protection.” The Attorney General alleges that LifeLock made a range of deceptive claims in its advertisements that misled consumers to believe its services were a “proven solution” that would protect against all forms of identity theft, including criminal, mortgage and child identity theft.

Watermen converged on the State House on Tuesday to voice their support for bills that would drastically diminish the Department of Natural Resources’ ability to regulate oyster harvesting.

The watermen say they do not trust the department, and believe the governor’s proposed Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan will destroy their livelihoods. Under Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposal, some areas that are productive and open to oyster harvesting now would be designated as oyster sanctuaries.