Maryland this month finalized a $340 million deal with Constellation Energy to relicense the Conowingo Dam in Cecil County, ending years of litigation and regulatory uncertainty. The agreement restores the state’s authority to enforce water quality standards under the Clean Water Act and sets a possible precedent for dozens of hydroelectric relicensing cases nationwide expected in coming years.

The deal includes direct and associated investments in habitat restoration, trash and debris removal, aquatic life passage and other environmental priorities.

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) will have oversight of the agreement, with input from two advocacy groups—Waterkeepers Chesapeake and the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association—who challenged and helped overturn an earlie

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