90                                Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 31

(4) research and investigations relating to the effects on air re-
sources of electric power plants and the effects of air pollutants from
power plants on public health and welfare, vegetation, animals, ma-
terials and esthetic values, including baseline studies, predictive
modeling, and monitoring of the air mass at proposed sites and sites
of operating electric generating stations, evaluation of new or im-
proved methods for minimizing air pollution from power plants and
other matters pertaining to the effect of power plants on the air
environment,

(5)  an environmental evaluation of electric power plant sites pro-
posed for future development and expansion and their relationship
to the waters and air of the State,

(6)   evaluation of the environmental effects of new electric power
generation technologies and extra-ordinary systems related to power
plants designed to minimize environmental effects,

(7)  the determination of the potential for constructive use (s)
of the waste energy to be released at proposed electric power plant
sites,

(8)  analysis of the socio-economic impact of electric power gen-
eration facilities on the land uses of the State.

765. Long-Range Power Plant Site Evaluation

(a) In cooperation with the Public Service Commission and the
Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Secretary of Natural
Resources shall implement a long-range (at least 10 years) environ-
mental evaluation of power plant building sites. To facilitate provid-
ing adequate electric power on reasonable schedules at reasonable
costs with the least possible depreciation of the quality of Mary-
land's environment, the following responsibilities and procedures are
set forth:

(1)   The Public Service Commission shall be responsible for as-
sembling and evaluating annually the long-range plans of Maryland's
public electric companies regarding generating needs and means for
meeting those needs. The Chairman of the Public Service Commis-
sion shall, on an annual basis, forward to the Secretary of Natural
Resources a ten-year (10) plan of possible and proposed sites, in-
cluding associated transmission routes, for the construction of new
electric power plants within the State of Maryland and extensions
of existing plants. The first ten-year (10) plan shall be forwarded
on or about January 1, 1972.

(2)   The Secretary of Natural Resources, with the advice of the
Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene, upon receipt of a ten-year
plan from the Public Service Commission of proposed locations for
the construction of electric power plants in accordance with item
(1) above and Section 54B (b) of Article 78, shall prepare and
submit, within 180 days after receipt of the aforesaid plan, A prelim-
inary Environmental Statements STATEMENT on each possible and
proposed site, including associated transmission routes. The State-
ment, on the basis of the Environmental Research Program, shall
include but not be limited to the following considerations:

The environmental impact at the proposed site,

Any adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should
the proposed site be accepted,