Environment - Maryland Clean Water Fund - Authorized Uses

HB 1135 amends Maryland's Clean Water Fund to explicitly authorize using its funds for "urban forest management" activities. This change directly affects the Maryland Department of the Environment, which administers the fund, by expanding the list of permitted uses for existing revenue. The bill adds urban forest management as a specific provision under the fund's authorized activities (previously limited to water quality programs, sewage sludge oversight, and erosion control). It does not create new funding but allows current fund resources to support tree planting, canopy preservation, and related urban forestry efforts. The amendment takes effect October 1, 2025.