• About
    • About Us
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
      • Meet the Board
      • Board Documents
    • Annual Report
    • Board of Advisors
    • Contact Us
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Our Work
    • Wins for the Bay
    • Bay Issues
    • Pro Bono Projects
    • Services Provided
    • Get Legal Help
    • CLA Testimonials
    • CLA’s Legal Documents
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Job Opportunities
    • Get Legal Help
  • Home
  • Guides + Reports
    • Guides + Reports
    • Maryland Violations Tracker
  • News
    • Top News
    • CLA In The News
    • CLA Publications
    • CLA News
    • BAY BRIEF Newsletter
    • Calendar
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Foundation Partners
    • Planning for the Future
    • Become A Law Firm Partner
    • Gifts Of Stocks + Securities

Contact Us | Donate

Chesapeake Legal AllianceChesapeake Legal Alliance
  • About
    • About Us
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
      • Meet the Board
      • Board Documents
    • Annual Report
    • Board of Advisors
    • Contact Us
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Our Work
    • Wins for the Bay
    • Bay Issues
    • Pro Bono Projects
    • Services Provided
    • Get Legal Help
    • CLA Testimonials
    • CLA’s Legal Documents
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Job Opportunities
    • Get Legal Help
  • Home
  • Guides + Reports
    • Guides + Reports
    • Maryland Violations Tracker
  • News
    • Top News
    • CLA In The News
    • CLA Publications
    • CLA News
    • BAY BRIEF Newsletter
    • Calendar
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Foundation Partners
    • Planning for the Future
    • Become A Law Firm Partner
    • Gifts Of Stocks + Securities
Home Sparrows Point Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Citizen Suit
Sparrows Point Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Citizen Suit
BALTIMORE, MD -- 7/2/09 -- TE HARBOR FOX -- Aerials of Inner Harbor East and other areas around Baltimore. The Sparrows Point steel mill. Lloyd Fox [Sun Photographer] #6558

Sparrows Point Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Citizen Suit

Client: Blue Water Baltimore / Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper
Location: Baltimore City, MD
Date(s): January 2010, ongoing
Services: Litigation
Issues: Environmental Justice Hazardous Waste + Toxics Municipal and Industrial Waste Water Public Health

Since 2010, a CLA volunteer attorney has been representing Blue Water Baltimore (BWB) and neighboring residents in litigation to ensure that Sparrows Point, the former site of the Bethlehem Steel mill, is remediated adequately. The suit was for violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) by operating without a hazardous waste management facility permit, violation of related hazardous waste laws, and violation of Maryland’s erosion and sediment control laws. Notably, environmental cleanup requirements were protected when the plant owners filed for bankruptcy, ensuring funds would be maintained to clean-up the site.

Located just south of Baltimore, the 2,300-acre site is heavily contaminated with pollutants, including lead, mercury, and arsenic. These pollutants have been carried to the Patapsco River and Bear Creek, tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay, by stormwater runoff and groundwater migration, affecting water quality and the health and safety of residents in the neighboring communities.

In 2014, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and Sparrows Point Terminal, LLC (SPT), the new owner, entered into an Administrative Consent Order that requires the site owners to carry out a comprehensive cleanup plan consistent with federal and state laws. This order includes specific deadlines and stipulated penalties for noncompliance.

SPT has posted financial assurance of $48 million to ensure performance of this work, and the amount must be revised upwards if cost estimates rise. SPT is also obligated to reimburse annually MDE’s oversight costs up to $100,000 per year. SPT also paid $3 million towards the offsite investigation and remediation. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency entered onto a parallel Settlement Agreement addressing many of the same activities, providing federal as well as state oversight and enforcement. This cleanup project will take time, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation and BWB will monitor its performance closely

Similar Projects

Remedial Investigation of Anacostia River Sediments
A CLA volunteer attorney is assisting the Anacostia Riverkeeper with on-going strategic...
Manure-to-Energy Facility, Public Hearing Request
A CLA volunteer attorney helped the Trust to request a public hearing...
Return to Projects

Our Work

  • Bay Issues
  • Pro Bono Projects
  • Services Provided
  • Get Legal Help
  • CLA Testimonials
  • CLA Legal Documents

Projects By Issue

  • Agricultural Pollution

  • Air Quality

  • Bay Cleanup + Government Transparency

  • Energy + Climate Change

  • Environmental Justice

  • Fisheries + Oysters

  • Hazardous Waste + Toxics

  • Land Use + Habitat Protection

  • Municipal and Industrial Waste Water

  • Public Health

  • Septic and Sewer Systems

  • Stormwater Runoff

Projects By Service

  • Administrative Hearings

  • Advocacy

  • Analysis and Advice

  • Corporate Legal Support

  • Education & Training

  • Legislation and Policy

  • Litigation

  • Permit Review & Comments

Contact Us

We're currently offline. Send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Send Message
Need legal assistance? We Can Help

About Us

The Chesapeake Legal Alliance provides free legal services for those seeking to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its communities.  

More About Us
Volunteer With Us

Find Us on Social Media

  • Newsletter

Contact Us

Chesapeake Legal Alliance
106 Ridgely Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

P: (410) 216-9441
F: (410) 216-7077

Charity Navigator
Strategic Plan
Annual Report

© 2023 Chesapeake Legal Alliance. All Rights Reserved. Website by The Downstream Project

  • Bay Issues
  • Pro Bono Projects
  • Services Provided
  • Get Legal Help
  • CLA Testimonials
  • CLA Legal Documents