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Mass Balloon Release Ban Considered in Maryland

creative commons

There could be a ban in Maryland on the mass release of balloons into the air.

The bipartisan measure would impose a $250 fine.

The Salisbury Daily Times reports that it has become a measure concern on the Eastern Shore.

Republican state Senator Mary Beth Carozza, a co-sponsor of the measure, called it a common sense environmental protection bill.

And the paper reports that there has been concern about the impact on birds as well as sea and wild life.

The balloons have even been known to have harmed Assateague ponies.

It’s a movement that began in Queen Anne’s and Wicomico counties on the Eastern Shore.

But the state measure also includes a ban on biodegradable balloons.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.