Environment - Bay Restoration Fund - Septic System Upgrade Program

HB 131 modifies Maryland's Bay Restoration Fund to prioritize funding for upgrading septic systems that remove nitrogen, a key pollutant harming the Chesapeake Bay. The bill requires the Department of the Environment to evaluate and rank nitrogen-removal technologies based on nitrogen reduction effectiveness, total cost (including maintenance), and cost per pound of nitrogen removed. It establishes performance-based funding levels, prioritizing failing systems in the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area first, followed by systems in nitrogen-impaired watersheds, and then those threatening public health. The bill also expands eligibility to include community sewer systems and exempts certain technology procurements from standard state procurement rules, as specified in revised sections of Maryland law (§§ 9-1108.1 and 9-1605.2).