2844                                 LAWS OF MARYLAND                               Ch. 815

its intended action and afford interested persons
opportunity to submit data or views, orally or in writing.

(2) The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
may adopt, amend, or repeal substantive regulations as
described in this paragraph. In promulgating regulations
under this subtitle, the Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene shall take into account the existing physical
conditions, the character of the area involved, including
the character of surrounding land uses, priority ranking of
waters with regard to effluent limits, zoning
classifications, the nature of the existing receiving body
of water, the technical feasibility and economic
reasonableness of measuring or reducing the particular type
of water pollution, and any other standard as expressed in
the intent and purpose of this title. The generality of this
grant of authority shall only be limited by the
specifications of particular classes of regulations
elsewhere in this subtitle. Any regulation may d) prescribe
different provisions as required by circumstances for
different pollutant sources and for different geographical
areas and (ii) apply to sources located outside this State
which cause, contribute to, or threaten environmental damage
in Maryland and (lii) make special provisions for alert and
abatement standards and procedures respecting occurrences or
emergencies of pollution or on other short-term conditions
constituting an acute danger to health or to the
environment.

(d) The Department of [Health and Mental Hygiene]
NATURAL RESOURCES shall prescribe by rule or regulation
approved methods, facilities, standards, and devices for
transfer, storage, separating, removing, treating, or
disposing of oil and other unctuous substances to prevent
pollution of waters of the State, INCLUDING RULES AND
REGULATIONS OUTLINING PROCEDURES FOR ADDRESSING WATER
POLLUTION EPISODES OR EMERGENCIES WHICH CONSTITUTE AN ACUTE
DANGER TO HEALTH OR THE ENVIRONMENT. A person may not engage
in any commercial or industrial operation involving these
activities unless he has obtained a permit from the
Department of [Health and Mental Hygiene] NATURAL RESOURCES,
indicating that the activities are in conformity with the
prescribed rules and regulations.

8-1406.

The Maryland Port Administration is responsible for
developing a program, including training, to enable the
State to respond to an emergency oil spillage in the
Baltimore Harbor area and the Department of [Health and
Mental Hygiene] NATURAL RESOURCES is responsible for
developing a similar program in other waters of the State.
These units shall coordinate efforts of the various State
and local units aiding in the operation and may request the
aid of any appropriate federal agency if necessary.

8-1407.