Maryland’s environmental agency has collected $5.1 million in pollution penalties from a record number of violators in fiscal 2010, according to its annual report. The state’s Department of the Environment penalized more than 3,000 citizens and businesses that violated environmental regulations for the 12 months ending in June 2010. The violations represent a 6.8 percent increase from fiscal 2009 and a 54 percent increase from fiscal 2007 — when the agency launched a program to ramp up enforcement. The increases are primarily driven by a spike in radiation safety violations, according to the agency. Maryland is home to roughly 5,000 X-ray machines that the state is required to inspect once every three years. — Hayley Peterson
