reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-2A-07 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 2A - Land Trust Grant Fund|Section 3-2A-07 - Considerations and Prerequisites for Grants

    (a)    In making grants under this subtitle, the Trust shall give consideration to:        (1)    The amount of funds contributed to the project by the land trust as a match against the grant;        (2)    The amount of funds contributed to the project by parties other than the land trust or the Trust;        (3)    The natural resource, open space, or recreational value of the project;        (4)    Geographic distribution;        (5)    The degree of development pressure in the area; and        (6)    Whether the grant will be reimbursed to the Land Trust Grant Fund, as provided by § 3-2A-08 of this subtitle.    (b)    The Trust may not make a grant under this subtitle to a land trust unless the land trust:        (1)    Contributes an amount not less than 15% of the amount of the grant as a match; or        (2)    Agrees to resell the property to the Department or a local governing body as provided by § 5-903 or § 5-905 of this article.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-2A-08 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 2A - Land Trust Grant Fund|Section 3-2A-08 - Property of Land Trust

    (a)    A land trust may, with the approval of the Trust, subsequently sell or transfer the acquired property to a third party.    (b)    As a condition of the grant, the Trust may require the dedication of a conservation easement on or reversionary interest in the property in favor of the Trust.    (c)    (1)    Grants awarded to land trusts under this subtitle may be fully or partially reimbursed to the Land Trust Grant Fund under the general conditions set forth in paragraph (2) of this subsection, to be further specified by the Trust in the grant conditions.        (2)    When land or an interest in land is acquired by the land trust with a grant under this subtitle, on resale of the property a proportion of the money from the resale shall be repaid to the Land Trust Grant Fund as may be provided in the grant conditions.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-2A-09 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 2A - Land Trust Grant Fund|Section 3-2A-09 - Grants -- Terms and Conditions; Documents

    (a)    Except as provided in this subtitle, the Trust may set the terms and conditions for grants.    (b)    If the Trust decides to grant money to an applicant, the Trust shall prepare grant documents.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-2A-10 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 2A - Land Trust Grant Fund|Section 3-2A-10 - Grants -- Approval; Modification of Terms

    (a)    If the Trust approves the application, the Trust shall recommend to the Board of Public Works approval of the grant.    (b)    The Board of Public Works may approve the grant conditional on modifying its terms.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-2A-11 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 2A - Land Trust Grant Fund|Section 3-2A-11 - Remedies for Violation of Grant Documents or Subtitle

    If an applicant violates any provision of the grant documents or ceases to meet the requirements of this subtitle, on reasonable notice to the applicant, the Trust may exercise any remedy for which the grant documents provide.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-2A-12 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 2A - Land Trust Grant Fund|Section 3-2A-12 - False Statements or Reports; Penalties for Violation of Subtitle

    (a)    A person may not knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement or report, including any understatement or overstatement of financial condition for a new grant or affecting a grant already made under this subtitle:        (1)    In any application or in any document furnished to the Trust; or        (2)    For the purpose of influencing the action of the Trust on an application for financial assistance or for the purpose of influencing any action of the Trust affecting financial assistance whether or not such assistance may have already been extended.    (b)    Any person or any aider or abettor, who violates any provision of this subtitle, is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or imprisonment in the penitentiary not exceeding 5 years or both.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-2A-13 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 2A - Land Trust Grant Fund|Section 3-2A-13 - Regulations

    The Department shall adopt any regulations necessary to carry out the purposes of this subtitle.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-2A-14 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 2A - Land Trust Grant Fund|Section 3-2A-14 - Annual Reports

    (a)    The Trust shall report on or before September 1 of each year to the Governor, the budget committees of the General Assembly, and the Department of Legislative Services on the status of the Grant Fund as of the end of the previous fiscal year.    (b)    The Trust’s report shall include:        (1)    The total amounts of funds expended;        (2)    The total amounts of funds committed;        (3)    The total amounts of funds remaining;        (4)    A list of projects for which funds have been expended or are committed;        (5)    A projection of projects in the near future for which grants will be made;        (6)    An assessment of which grants are expected to be fully or partially reimbursable to the Grant Fund;        (7)    An evaluation of the program’s effectiveness; and        (8)    Projections as to future funding needs.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-301 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 3 - Power Plant Research Program|Section 3-301 - Definitions

    (a)    In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.    (b)    “Fund” means Environmental Trust Fund.    (c)    “Generator lead route” and “route” means a transmission line from a generation site to the first substation or substations connecting the line to the grid.    (d)    “Program” means a continuing research program for electric power plant site evaluation and related environmental land use considerations.    (e)    “Secretary” means Secretary of Natural Resources.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-303.1 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 3 - Power Plant Research Program|Section 3-303.1 - Solar Generation Facilities -- Pollinator-Friendly Designation

    (a)    The Department, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, shall designate a solar generation facility as pollinator–friendly if the solar generation facility meets the requirements of this section.    (b)    The Department shall adopt a Solar Site Pollinator Habitat Planning and Assessment scorecard that:        (1)    Has been recommended by the University of Maryland bee lab;        (2)    May be updated or amended only once every 2 years; and        (3)    Applies only to solar generation facilities.    (c)    (1)    A solar generation facility may be designated as pollinator–friendly only by the Department.        (2)    A solar generation facility may be designated by the Department as pollinator–friendly if:            (i)    The solar generation facility:                1.    Is ground–mounted;                2.    Is at least 1 acre in size; and                3.    Meets or exceeds the minimum score identified in the Solar Site Pollinator Habitat Planning and Assessment scorecard; and            (ii)    The land on which the solar generation facility is located is planted and managed in accordance with a pollinator–friendly vegetation management standard or pollinator habitat plan evaluated under § 3–303(b)(9) of this subtitle by the power plant research program.    (d)    The owner of a solar generation facility may not claim that the facility is pollinator–friendly or that the facility provides benefits to pollinators, song birds, or game birds unless the facility has been designated as pollinator–friendly by the Department in accordance with this section.    (e)    The owner of a pollinator–friendly solar generation facility shall provide appropriate maintenance of the pollinator vegetation.    (f)    The owner of a pollinator–friendly solar generation facility shall make the facility’s pollinator–friendly vegetation management standard or pollinator habitat plan evaluated under § 3–303(b)(9) of this subtitle by the power plant research program available to the Maryland, DC, and Virginia Solar Energy Industries Association or other nonprofit solar industry trade associations.    (g)    Nothing in this section restricts any farming practices on any land adjacent to the land on which a solar generation facility is located.    (h)    The Department may charge the owner of a solar generation facility a reasonable fee to cover costs associated with designating the solar generation facility as pollinator–friendly.    (i)    The Department shall adopt regulations to carry out this section.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-306 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 3 - Power Plant Research Program|Section 3-306 - Review of and Recommendation Concerning Applications for Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity Associated With Power Plant Construction

    (a)    Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this article or the Public Utilities Article, on application to the Public Service Commission for a certificate of public convenience and necessity associated with power plant construction involving, but not limited to, use or diversion of the waters of the State, or private wetlands, the Commission shall notify immediately the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of the Environment of the application. The Commission shall supply the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of the Environment with any pertinent information available regarding the application. The Department of the Environment shall treat the application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity as an application for appropriation or use of waters of the State under Title 5 of the Environment Article and as an application for a license for dredging and filling under Title 16 of the Environment Article.    (b)    Within 60 days after the application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity has been filed with the Commission, the Secretary shall require the Department of Natural Resources to complete any additional study and investigation concerning the application, and the Secretary of the Environment shall require the Department of the Environment to study and investigate the necessity for dredging and filling at the proposed plant site and water appropriation or use. The Secretary and the Secretary of the Environment jointly shall forward the results of the study and investigation, together with a recommendation that the certificate be granted, denied, or granted with any condition deemed necessary, to the chairman of the Commission.    (c)    The results and recommendations shall be open for public inspection and shall be presented by the Secretaries or their designees at the hearing the Commission holds as required by Title 7, Subtitle 2 of the Public Utilities Article. Within 15 days from the conclusion of the hearing, and based on the evidence there presented, the Secretaries jointly shall present their final recommendation to the chairman of the Commission including, but not limited to, any specific conclusions as to any private wetlands involved and any specific conclusions as to any water use or restriction of water use involved.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-306.1 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 3 - Power Plant Research Program|Section 3-306.1 - Use of Sites in Inventory Without Regard to Local Zoning Rule, Etc

    In view of the safeguards provided by this subtitle through State units, and to assure the controlling effect of their determinations, any property certified as a suitable site by the Secretary of Natural Resources and placed in inventory as provided in this subtitle or any sites acquired and placed in inventory as provided in this subtitle shall be used and operated for electric generating and associated on-site transmission purposes without regard to any local zoning rule, regulation, law, or ordinance, and this use is not required to be submitted to or approved by any county or municipal zoning board, authority, or unit.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-307 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 3 - Power Plant Research Program|Section 3-307 - Judicial Review

    Judicial review shall in all instances include the right to appeal to the circuit courts as set forth in Title 3, Subtitle 2 of the Public Utilities Article.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-3A-01 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 3A - Acid Deposition|Section 3-3A-01 - Definitions

    (a)    In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.    (b)    “Acid deposition” means the process whereby acid–forming chemical compounds are transported from the atmosphere to the surface of the earth.    (c)    “Acid deposition precursor” means an air contaminant that may be transformed to an acid gas or particle in the atmosphere.    (d)    “Commission” means the Maryland Public Service Commission.    (e)    “Departments” means the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of the Environment.    (f)    “Participating agencies” means the Commission, the People’s Counsel of the Public Service Commission, and the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, and Transportation, and the Department of Planning.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-3A-02 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 3A - Acid Deposition|Section 3-3A-02 - Responsibilities of Director of Power Plant Siting and Research Program; Evaluations; Consultation With Interested Parties

    (a)    The Director of the Power Plant Siting and Research Program shall be responsible for the direction and coordination of the activities required under this subtitle.    (b)    (1)    To the extent funds are provided in the State budget, the departments, in cooperation with the participating agencies, shall conduct a comprehensive evaluation of:            (i)    The sources of acid deposition received in the State;            (ii)    The impact of acid deposition on the State;            (iii)    Any available effective methods to alleviate any significant adverse impact on the State; and            (iv)    The costs of the available effective methods to alleviate any significant adverse impact on the State.        (2)    The departments shall utilize the results of studies conducted by other organizations where applicable and shall conduct independent research and monitoring studies where necessary.    (c)    (1)    The departments, in cooperation with the participating agencies, shall consult with and involve interested parties, including affected private sector industries and resource conservationists, in the comprehensive evaluation in subsection (b)(1) of this section.        (2)    The interested parties shall participate in the planning of the research program and monitoring activities, the design of specific projects, the review of the results of studies, and the production of final reports.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-401 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 4 - Center for Environmental Science|Section 3-401 - Designation of Purpose of Center

    The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, a branch of the University System of Maryland, is designated to encompass the functions of the Natural Resources Institute and the additions set forth in this subtitle.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-402 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 4 - Center for Environmental Science|Section 3-402 - Supervision, Direction and Control of Center; Academic Rank and Faculty Status of Director and Staff

    The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science shall be under the supervision, direction, and control of the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland. Academic rank and faculty status may be assigned to the director and qualified personnel staff members.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-403 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 4 - Center for Environmental Science|Section 3-403 - Functions and Duties of Center; Research and Educational Program; Collection of Research Samples

    (a)    The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science shall conduct a comprehensive program to develop and apply predictive ecology for Maryland to the improvement and preservation of the physical environment, through a program of research, public service, and education. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science shall perform the following functions:        (1)    Maintain liaison with the State to identify the important regional and environmental problems, including the relationship to the use of the waters of the State and in particular those environmental problems affecting the waters of the Chesapeake Bay;        (2)    Inventory appropriate:            (i)    Professional individuals;            (ii)    Organizations which are private, public, and commercial;            (iii)    Facilities; and            (iv)    Programs, including:                1.    Educational;                2.    Research and development; and                3.    Public service;        (3)    Arrange or prepare critical reviews, analyses, summaries of present levels of understanding and technical status reports on topical environmental problems, in formats ranging in depth from informal consultation to formal reports;        (4)    Assist the development and coordination of single or multidisciplinary programs and projects on the environment at public and private educational and research institutes;        (5)    Develop and promote environmental educational programs in the State;        (6)    Conduct environmental research programs;        (7)    Implement a program of environmental education to include participation in undergraduate and graduate collegiate programs, assist public and private educational systems, and participate in the education of the public and environmental fields;        (8)    Implement joint graduate degree programs and post baccalaureate certificate programs, if authorized by the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland in accordance with the Education Article;        (9)    Perform other acts of public service relating to the environment in the best interest of the citizens of the State; and        (10)    Implement the application of the institutional and physical resources of the University to the needs of State agencies in environmental matters.    (b)    The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science staff may collect any animal, plant, and other sample and use any collection device, technique, and seizure necessary for and pertinent to its research, public service and education program.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-601 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 6 - Maryland Deepwater Port Siting Act|Section 3-601 - Purpose

    The General Assembly finds and declares that the increasing energy requirements of the State and nation continue to exceed domestic sources of energy supply and that demand must be met, at least in the near future, by imported oil. Construction of deepwater ports in waters adjacent to the continental shelf of the United States could accommodate oil tenders too large for present ports and port facilities. As compared to smaller tanker systems, transfer of oil to the United States by these large tankers may have certain advantages, including assured access to the world’s total petroleum shipping fleet, a reduction in economic costs and safety hazards, increased transportation efficiency, and reduced environmental hazards to harbors and shorelines. The legislature, in recognition of these objectives and those of protecting the coastal environment, regulating growth and determining land use, and in order to carry out its delegated responsibilities under the federal Deepwater Port Act of 1974, hereby defines the policy and procedure to advance and protect the interests of the people of the State of Maryland in the location, construction and operation of deepwater ports in the waters beyond the State.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-602 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 6 - Maryland Deepwater Port Siting Act|Section 3-602 - Definitions

    (a)    In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.    (b)    “Adjacent coastal state” means any coastal state which:        (1)    Would be connected directly by pipeline to a deepwater port, as proposed in an application;        (2)    Would be located within 15 miles of any proposed deepwater port; or        (3)    Is so designated by the federal Secretary in accordance with § 9(a)(2) of the federal act.    (c)    “Application” means any application submitted under the federal act for:        (1)    A license for the ownership, construction, and operation of a deepwater port;        (2)    Transfer of any license; or        (3)    Any substantial change in any of the conditions and provisions of any license.    (d)    “Coastal environment” means the State’s navigable waters and the adjacent shorelines. The term includes transitional and intertidal areas, bays, lagoons, salt marshes, estuaries, and beaches and their fish, wildlife and other living resources, and the recreational and scenic values of the lands, waters and resources.    (e)    “Deepwater port” means any fixed or floating manmade structure other than a vessel, or any group of structures, located beyond territorial waters of a state and off the coast of the United States and which are used or intended for use as a port or terminal for the loading or unloading and further handling of hydrocarbons and their products for transportation to any state, except as otherwise provided in § 23 of the federal act. A deepwater port is a “new source” for purposes of the federal Clean Air Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.    (f)    “Federal act” means the federal Deepwater Port Act of 1974.    (g)    “Federal Secretary” means the Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation.    (h)    “Hydrocarbon” means petroleum, crude oil, any substance refined from petroleum or crude oil and natural gas.    (i)    “Marine environment” means the coastal environment, State waters of the contiguous zone, and State waters of the high seas; the fish, wildlife, and other living resources of the waters; and the recreational and scenic values of the waters and resources.
MD. Natural Resources Code Ann. §  3-603 (2021)
2021 Maryland Statutes|Natural Resources|Title 3 - Environmental Programs|Subtitle 6 - Maryland Deepwater Port Siting Act|Section 3-603 - Restriction on State Applicants

    The Governor, a State agency or official may not represent the State, individually or by joint agreements and compacts, as an applicant under the federal act without express authorization under State law.