House Bill 200 (151st General Assembly) – The Clean Water for Delaware Act would establish a Clean Water Trust account and increase funding for low-income and underserved communities, and require a comprehensive clean water report and strategic plan to ensure that priority projects are addressed in a timely fashion.
Under House Bill 200, a Clean Water Trust Fund Oversight Committee would be established to produce a comprehensive annual report accounting for sources and uses of funds for wastewater, stormwater and drinking water infrastructure, plus several other water-quality-related programs, such as drainage, beach preservation, waterway management, cover crop and tax ditches.
The Clean Water Trust would include appropriations in the Bond Bill for Safe Drinking Water, Water Pollution Control, and Resource Conservation and Development projects plus loan repayments, interest on invested funds and other funding made available for these purposes.
To help seed the trust, Governor John Carney has allocated $50 million in his fiscal 2022 recommended budget for clean water projects. This would include $22.5 million for safe drinking water, $22.5 million for water pollution control, and $5 million for resource conservation and development.
House Bill 212 (151st General Assembly) – In 2019, the General Assembly passed legislation prohibiting single-use carryout plastic bags at large and chain stores. Under the law, which took effect Jan. 1, 2021, stores with more than 7,000 square feet of retail sales space, or chains with three or more locations with each having at least 3,000 square feet of retail sales space are not permitted to provide “any single-use plastic carryout bag” to a customer at the point of sale.
However, some stores have exploited a loophole by simply switching to slightly thicker plastic bags for customers that are no more “reusable” than the bags targeted by the law. This goes against the spirit of the bill and undermines the goal of reducing plastic bag litter and pollution in Delaware.
House Bill 212 would increase the minimum thickness for a plastic bag to qualify as a reusable bag from 2.25 mils to 10 mils beginning January 1, 2022. The increased thickness would eliminate the thicker plastic bags being marketed as “reusable” and ensure that any bags offered to customers are truly meant to be kept and reused multiple times.
House Bill 19 (151st General Assembly) – This bill defines and regulates electric bicycles, as well as creates protections for e-bike riders and classifies electric bicycles as vehicles. It includes electric bicycle operators and passengers as vulnerable users when on a highway, crosswalk, road shoulder or sidewalk and prescribes rights and responsibilities attendant to the operation of electric bicycles.
House Bill 8 (151st General Assembly) – This bill sets enforceable PFOA/PFOS “forever chemicals” contaminant levels in drinking water. In certain studies, these chemicals were found to be associated with increased risks of chronic diseases. The Environmental Protection Agency, thus far, has not established a maximum contaminant levels, but have issued health advisories. The establishment of maximum contaminant levels is essential in order to protect the health and safety of all Delawareans from contaminants in drinking water.
House Bill 112 (150th General Assembly) – This bill allows the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue special Bicycle Friendly Delaware license plates.
House Bill 185 (149th General Assembly) – The “Bicycle Friendly Delaware Act” would update Delaware code in conformance with recommended changes to the Uniform Vehicle Code from both the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (Rules of the Road Committee) and the League of American Bicyclists (Legal Affairs Committee). Without changing the legal meaning of existing law, these updates would clarify sections of the Delaware Rules of the Road that are frequently misunderstood by the police, by bicycle operators and by vehicle drivers.
House Bill 215 (149th General Assembly) – We help our environment by recycling plastic – and this legislation encourages consumers to continue to dispose of their plastic bags through “at-store” programs by removing the sunset on the original legislation. These are convenient, easy ways to recycle. All stores should be subject to the requirements of this law by June, 30, 2018.
House Bill 32 (147th General Assembly) – Updates and streamlines the state’s Oil Pollution Act by eliminating a monetary cap for liability for damages.
House Concurrent Resolution 27 (147th General Assembly) – Expresses concerns over the health, safety, noise, traffic and pollution caused by Norfolk Southern’s “crude by rail” shipments to the PBF Refinery in Delaware City. The resolution requests that PBF and Norfolk Southern (1) provide monthly reports detailing the crossing times of all PBF inbound and outbound trains at several Delaware crossings; (2) increase their communication in an effort to become more efficient in the “crude by rail” shipments so as to avoid delays; (3) work with the state and federal governments to develop more quiet zones; (4) identify and propose additional infrastructure improvements to the rail lines to help improve efficiency and safety; and (5) work in conjunction with DelDOT and provide the required funding to maintain safe rail lines and crossings in conformance with federal and DelDOT guidelines and standards
House Bill 235 (147th General Assembly) – Designates bicycling as the official sport for the State of Delaware. The fourth grade students at Wilbur and Southern Elementary participated in this bill’s advancement through the legislative process advocating for its passage.
House Bill 197 (146th General Assembly) – Requires that civil or administrative penalties, of which 25 percent are paid to the Community Environmental Project Fund, be used on projects within a 10-mile radius of where the infraction or violation occurred. Eligible projects must reduce, minimize or abate pollution or eliminate or minimize the risks to human health. They also must benefit the same community where the violation occurred.
House Bill 15 (145th General Assembly) – Requires that retail stores with at least 7,000 square feet of retail space or three or more Delaware locations must establish an at-store recycling program for plastic bags. Those stores also must provide reusable bags, which customers may purchase. By August 1, 2010, stores must include a message encouraging recycling on all plastic bags. Restaurants are excluded from the bill. The measure takes effect on December 1, 2009.