Senator's Bill Would Ban Balloon Releases

[TexasTowelie]

Letting a balloon float away in Maryland would draw in a fine of $250, under a bill sponsored by Sen. Clarence K. Lam. The legislation is similar to a current Queen Anne’s County law.

Lam (D-Baltimore, Howard) said he hopes the bill does two things: reduces the amount of waste that ends up in the environment and raises awareness of the need to properly dispose of balloons.

He said there would be a $250 civil fine for each act of intentionally releasing a balloon, but no one would go to prison for it because it’s not considered a criminal offense.

Lam said the proposed law, unlike in Queen Anne’s County, would not allow biodegradable balloons.

Read more: https://www.marylandmatters.org/2019/11/27/lams-bill-would-ban-balloon-releases/

[Lulu KC]

1. Yes!

They seem so innocent to those who don't know.
This has made me realize that with streaming, there is no way to have PSAs any more.

[yonder]

2. I understand another issue is the finite supply of helium. Once it's gone, it's gone.

[TexasTowelie]

3. That is what came to my mind also. nt

[aka-chmeee]

4. At high school where I work as tech assistant, we intentionally release

one, sometimes two high altitude balloons a year.

We've been using Hydrogen gas for several years (costs about 20% of Helium). We track the balloons and retrieve them when they return to earth. We have traveled as far as 200 miles to recover our (latex) balloons and instrument packages.