Maryland may soon follow in the steps of Montgomery County and Washington D.C. and enact legislation that would impose a 5-cent charge on disposable plastic and paper bags handed out by retailers. If the proposal is adopted, Maryland would become the first state to impose a statewide disposable bag fee.

The Community Cleanup and Greening Act, House Bill 1086, introduced by Del. Mary L. Washington of Baltimore City, has 33 co-sponsors in House and had its initial hearing Friday in the Environmental Matters Committee. The companion bill in the state Senate has 10 sponsors. The bill is supported by the Trash Free Maryland Alliance, a network of more than 50 environmental and community groups.

The legislation is designed to reduce the number of bags consumers use, substituting reusable shopping bags, for example, and thereby cutting down on trash and water pollution.

Craig Muckle, manager of public affairs for Safeway, told the Capital News Service that in Montgomery County, Safeway saw a 70 percent drop in plastic bags usage at checkouts in 2012, the first year after a 5-cent fee went into effect there.

Laura Chamberlin, program manager of the Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative for the Alice Ferguson Foundation, told the Capital News Service that her organization “saw a 50 percent reduction in the number of bags that our volunteers collected from cleanup sites in Montgomery County.”

The Washington Post reported that D.C. Council members Tommy Wells and Marion Barry, who supported the District’s 2009 bag fee law, have urged the Maryland black caucus to get behind the proposed legislation. Wells and Barry made the case that lower-income neighborhoods are hurt more by trash from bags than higher income neighborhoods and that a bag charge could lower expenses for local residents.

According to The Post, Wells noted that some stores, such as Aldi’s and Save-A-Lot, already charge for bags instead of working the cost of bags into their pricing.

The Anacostia Watershed Society reports that the D.C. bag fee, which took effect in January of 2010, is already helping clean up the Anacostia River.

Bust out those capes, cowls, tights and (bicycle) lights from your spring wardrobe. It's time to channel your inner Hulk, Wonder Woman or Joker: Baltimore Bike Party just announced its theme for their upcoming March ride, The Superheroes & Supervillains Edition.

The awesome comic poster above was designed by Justin Duvall.

The last-Friday-of-every-month Baltimore Bike Party meets at Mount Vernon’s Washington Monument at 7 p.m., with the ride leaving promptly at 7:30 p.m.

For newcomers, Baltimore Bike Party is a large, casual group ride “through the streets of Baltimore celebrating bikes, Baltimore, and all things fun!” This month's ride wraps up with post-pedal festivities, including drink specials, a DJ, dancing and a photo booth, at Mother's Federal Hill Grille.

The Baltimore Bike Party website can be found here. The Facebook page for the March ride can be found here. A YouTube clip of the Halloween ride is here.

So, do you have a favorite superhero or supervillian? 

The breaking news from the 16^th Annual Maryland Bike Symposium was more political than legislative or policy focused.

Del. Jon Cardin (D-Baltimore County), chair of the state’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Caucus and a longtime member of state’s Green Caucus, confirmed what he’s long been openly mulling — that he will be a candidate to become Maryland’s next attorney general in 2014.

Cardin, of course, holds uncle Sen. Ben Cardin’s old seat. Montgomery County state Sen. Brain E. Frosh has previously announced he will run for attorney general in 2014. Current Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler is expected to be a leading contender for governor in 2014, along with Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, Comptroller Peter Franchot and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman.

Coincidentally, Ulman, pictured above (right) with Race Pace Bicycles owner and Bike Maryland board president Alex Obriecht, delivered the keynote address at the symposium, hosted by Bike Maryland, and was received warmly by the bicycling community. Ulman, who initiated the Healthy Howard program to increase access to health care in the county, also created the Howard County Office of Environmental Sustainability and has supported efforts to expand safe bicycling in the county, including the development of the county’s first Bicycle Master Plan.

Legislatively, in terms of bicycling bills, there doesn’t seem to be much moving in Annapolis this session.

House Bill 445, which would’ve clarified and repealed an exemption to Maryland’s existing 3-foot passing law, received an unfavorable report in the Environmental Matters Committee in February.

Also, House Bill 339, a controversial mandatory helmet law for all bicyclists, introduced by Baltimore City Del. Maggie McIntosh — and opposed by most bicycling advocates because of studies showing that helmet requirements deter bicycling — appears likely to stall this year. Currently, only bicyclists under the age of 16 are required to wear a helmet at all times in Maryland.

Another topic of conversation among the alternative transportation advocates, if not directly addressed at the symposium, was need for a transportation revenue bill to help fund maintenance and new, light rail projects, such as the proposed Red Line, connecting Baltimore County and Baltimore City, and the proposed Purple Line, connecting Montgomery and Prince George’s County.

Maryland Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, profiled by Baltimore magazine in January, recently said he expects Gov. Martin O’Malley to offer a new transportation revenue bill soon.

Maryland’s bid to become the first state to build an offshore wind farm took a step forward this week when the House of Delegates approved a wind energy infrastructure bill.

If signed into law, the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013 would help create about 40 wind turbines off Ocean City's coast, according to The Washington Post. The Post also notes that several states, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Delaware, are currently working towards developing offshore wind programs. Maryland's proposal passed a second reading in the House of Delegates Wednesday.

Gov. Martin O’Malley is a strong advocate for the wind power legislation, which has failed twice in recent years in the General Assembly.

“Wind is one of Maryland’s two most abundant natural resources,” O'Malley said in a finance committee hearing on the proposal. “The U.S. Department of Energy estimates we could be generating 10,000 megawatts off the coast of our state alone. That’s enough energy to power every home in Maryland. This bill would get the ball rolling with 200 megawatts.”

Earlier this month, the House Economic Matters Committee passed the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013 out of committee with a vote of 14 to 7.

The state Senate, where the bill failed last year, has not had its second reading on its companion bill. Senate President Mike Miller has said he supports the measure.

Most state house observers expect wind power legislation to pass both houses and be signed into law.

The wind power proposal could eventually cost rate payers up to an additional $1.50 a month and include a 1.5 percent rate increase for businesses starting in 2017, once turbines begin generating electricity — still years away. However, Del. John Olszewski Jr. in a recent Op-Ed said ultimately that cost of wind power will come down in relation to fossil fuels:

“Much has been made of what could be up to $1.50 a month to support these projects,” Olszewski wrote in a piece published on the Dundalk Patch website. “While many feel that the investment is worth the employment, health, and national security improvements alone, the truth is that this cost will be reduced over time as the cost of fossil fuels continues to rise.”

A Dundalk Democrat, Olszewski added that he believes an offshore wind energy program can create local jobs while providing clean energy, “improving our health, establishing long-term electric price stability, and keeping our air and water clean.”