A long-awaited stormwater permit for the Maryland State Highway Administration has become the latest flashpoint in dueling narratives over climate accountability and environmental justice in the state.

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) issues new permits for stormwater discharges “into, through, or from the municipal separate storm sewer system,” or MS4, every five years as required by the Clean Water Act’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System framework. The last permit expired in October 2023, but remained operative under federal and state law until a new permit was finalized.

The most recent permit, released Aug. 22, includes new requirements to curb polluted runoff from the state’s expansive road network that ends up in local creeks and streams, and eventuall

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