"The natural gas extraction method known as 'fracking' would be banned in Maryland until October 2017 under legislation approved Monday night by the Maryland Senate."

"[Maryland] Attorney General Brian E. Frosh has registered his 'strong opposition' to permitting oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic coast, warning it could harm Maryland's beaches and the Chesapeake Bay.

Preliminary evidence from an annual survey shows that blue crab populations in the Chesapeake Bay are starting to rebound.

"Both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly separately passed measures Tuesday that mark the most aggressive action the legislature has taken to curb natural gas extraction in the state."

"ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A bill to place a three-year moratorium on fracking in Maryland survived eight amendments and is headed to a vote in the House of Delegates."

"A New Hampshire-based company has teamed with poultry giant Perdue to propose a $200 million plant on the Eastern Shore to extract energy from chicken manure, offering its plan as a viable remedy for the farm pollution fouling the Chesapeake Bay."

"CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two former owners of Freedom Industries pleaded guilty on Monday to environmental violations stemming from last year's Charleston chemical spill that prompted a temporary tap water ban for 300,000 residents."

"West Virginia lawmakers approved a measure on Saturday to roll back strict water-protection rules enacted last year after a chemical spill contaminated drinking water for 300,000 people in West Virginia’s capital."

"CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has signed a bill lauded by the struggling coal industry and called dangerous by the miners’ union."