In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. “Acid deposition” means the process whereby acid–forming chemical compounds are transported from the atmosphere to the surface of the earth. “Acid deposition precursor” means an air contaminant that may be transformed to an acid gas or particle in the atmosphere. “Commission” means the Maryland Public Service Commission. “Departments” means the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of the Environment. “Participating agencies” means the Commission, the People’s Counsel of the Public Service Commission, and the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, and Transportation, and the Department of Planning.

The Director of the Power Plant Siting and Research Program shall be responsible for the direction and coordination of the activities required under this subtitle. To the extent funds are provided in the State budget, the departments, in cooperation with the participating agencies, shall conduct a comprehensive evaluation of: The sources of acid deposition received in the State; The impact of acid deposition on the State; Any available effective methods to alleviate any significant adverse impact on the State; and The costs of the available effective methods to alleviate any significant adverse impact on the State. The departments shall utilize the results of studies conducted by other organizations where applicable and shall conduct independent research and monitoring studies where necessary. The departments, in cooperation with the participating agencies, shall consult with and involve interested parties, including affected private sector industries and resource conservationists, in the comprehensive evaluation in subsection (b)(1) of this section. The interested parties shall participate in the planning of the research program and monitoring activities, the design of specific projects, the review of the results of studies, and the production of final reports.

The departments shall design and operate a comprehensive research and monitoring program through: New studies on issues affecting the State; Application of the results from ongoing and completed projects sponsored by the State; and The results of research conducted by the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program and other programs funded by the federal and state governments or private institutions. The comprehensive research and monitoring program shall: Determine the relative contributions, if any, to acid deposition in the State of various sources of acid deposition precursor emissions; Determine if acid deposition varies significantly from 1 geographic region of the State to another and identify the relative contribution of various sources of precursor emissions responsible for this variability; Expand and improve impact databases through the compilation of existing data on precipitation and surface water chemistry, improved quality control, and standardization of sampling and analytical techniques; Identify regions, localized areas, or specific ecosystems of the State especially sensitive to acid deposition; Assess the consequence of the environmental impacts of acid deposition on resources such as surface water, groundwater, crops, forests, fisheries, and structures; Identify and evaluate the technological effectiveness, if any, and economic cost of technologies and noncontrol mitigative techniques that are feasible for use in the State to control acid deposition precursor emissions or to mitigate the impact of acid deposition; Identify and monitor activities of the federal government and private industry towards development of innovative technologies for cleaner coal combustion that are feasible for possible use in the State to reduce acid deposition precursor emissions from facilities in the State; Document and apply all current federal, State, and other monitoring and research results related to acid deposition relevant to the State to insure that State activities are coordinated to prevent unnecessary duplication and waste of financial and technical resources; Evaluate issues concerning implementation that may arise due to federal acid deposition control legislation, including: The examination of the regulatory authority of the Commission and the Department of the Environment to implement a federally enacted emissions control program; and The identification and analysis of issues such as nitrogen oxide controls, cost sharing, emissions trading, and costs of controls that may be applied to the industrial, mobile, and residential sectors versus the utility sector; Initiate research and monitoring projects that are found to be necessary to augment information related to the sources and impacts of acid deposition affecting the State; and Examine the possible contribution to the control and reduction of acid deposition through energy management, enhanced conservation activities by electric utilities, and development of alternative sources of energy.