ANNAPOLIS, MD — Today, a coalition of more than 20 organizations testified before the Maryland General Assembly opposing legislation (SB371 and HB395) that would allow new industrial livestock operations to begin construction without first obtaining a water pollution permit. Maryland’s Eastern Shore is home to hundreds of poultry operations that generate millions of pounds of manure annually, polluting the air and groundwater, threatening local drinking water and impacting the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

In joint testimony submitted to the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee and the House Environment and Transportation Committee for hearings on February 10 and 11, respectively, advocates warn that the poultry industry-backed bills would undermine Maryland’s environmental review process and will result in the Department of the Environment approving projects even when issues arise because capital has already been invested.

The groups also warn that the bills would weaken environmental justice protections by limiting opportunities for impacted rural communities to participate meaningfully in the decision-making process before a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) is built. SB371 and HB395 further conflict with Governor Moore’s executive order 01.01.2025.17, which directs Maryland agencies to prioritize the protection of overburdened and historically marginalized communities in environmental decision-making.

“Lawmakers must not give the chicken industry a free pass to pollute our waters with their dirty runoff,” said Food & Water Watch Southern Regional Director Jorge Aguilar. “Given that the Moore administration is finalizing clean water rules for these factory farms, legislators should kill these bills outright.”

“Allowing industrial livestock operations to break ground before securing a water discharge permit turns environmental oversight into a rubber stamp,” said Molly Armus, Animal Agriculture Policy Program Manager for Friends of the Earth. “This legislation weakens community transparency and moves Maryland in the wrong direction. We strongly urge state decisionmakers to reject these bills.”

“Shame on the industry for trying to take a temporary delay and turning it into a permanent rollback to construct CAFOs before neighbors have any meaningful engagement in a permit process,” said Maria Payan, Co-founder of Sentinels of Eastern Shore Health. “Do you not know Governor Moore signed an executive order to advance environmental justice?”

“Far too often, industrial agriculture has been concentrated in Black, rural, and low-wealth communities, exposing families to polluted air, contaminated well water, and serious health risks.” said Wicomico County NAACP President Monica Brooks. “Existing permitting,while imperfect, provide critical protections. This legislation removes those safeguards and silences the voices of the people most impacted.”

“The drive to fast track industrial chicken operations in communities already overburdened is a major environmental justice issue.  This will lead to an increase in the cumulative impacts of these operations on air quality, water quality, and human health. This bill is anti-community, anti-public health, and will undermine the rights of local residents whose communities have been used as a sacrifice zone for these operations,” said Dr. Sacoby Wilson, Director, CEEJH INC and Professor, University of Maryland-College Park. 

Organizations that joined the joint testimony include Sentinels of Eastern Shore Health, Wicomico County NAACP, Food & Water Watch, ACQ (Ask the Climate Question), CATA – The Farmworkers Support Committee, Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Center for Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health INpowering Communities (CEEJH INC), Center for Progressive Reform, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, Climate Communications Coalition, Clean Water Action, Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs (CCAIC), Envision Frederick County, Environmental Integrity Project, Less Plastic Please, Little Hoof Farm, Maryland Latinos Unidos, Maryland Legislative Coalition, Maryland Legislative Coalition – Climate Justice Wing, One Montgomery Green, Patuxent Riverkeeper, Waterkeeper Alliance and Waterkeepers Chesapeake.