Bill > SB523

This bill, the Vernal Pool Wetlands Protection Act of 2026, requires the Department of the Environment to create and maintain a list of "qualified vernal pools," which are defined as small, temporary depressions that hold water for part of the year and are essential habitats for certain species, particularly native amphibians and invertebrates, but do not meet the criteria for federal or state nontidal wetlands. The Department will also establish regulations for protecting these qualified vernal pools and their surrounding buffer zones, and any person undertaking a "regulated activity" – which includes actions like excavation, altering drainage, dumping materials, or removing vegetation within or near a qualified vernal pool, but excludes agricultural and forestry activities – must first try to avoid harming the pool, then minimize any unavoidable harm, and finally compensate for any remaining damage. The regulations will apply to qualified vernal pools identified by the Department, through approved methods like mapping, or by a certified wetland delineator before a permit for a regulated activity is issued, and the Department will aim to align buffer and mitigation requirements with those for nontidal wetlands. When issuing permits for regulated activities, the Department must ensure protections for any qualified vernal pools that are officially listed and fall within the permitted project's area.

Education

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0523?ys=2026RS