A prominent environmental advocacy group plans to resurrect previously failed priorities during the 2012 legislative session.

Maryland’s League of Conservation Voters intends to ask the General Assembly to sign off on programs to bring offshore wind energy to Maryland, to impose regulations on the treatment of wastewater, and to create a tax on plastic and paper bags distributed by retailers.

The group, however, is waiting for recommendations from a task force commissioned by the legislature to determine how it will attack a proposal from last year that would have banned septic systems in new residential developments.

The task force, which is made up of lawmakers as well as agriculture, business and science representatives, is scheduled to meet Tuesday morning to further discuss recommendations.

Jen Brock-Cancellieri, deputy director of the League of Conservation Voters, said she expects that committee will recommend some sort of limit on septic systems in new development.

League leaders hope legislators will be more receptive in 2012 to last year’s priorities, Brock-Cancellieri said.

“I would say that Maryland LCV definitely felt like last legislative session was really disappointing and that legislators were shortsighted, and so we’ve been doing a lot of work in the summer and fall to engage environmental voters across the state who understand that we can invest in our economy and our environment at the same time; these are the policies we need to invest in,” Brock-Cancellieri said.

The bag tax, which would charge a 5-cent fee on all plastic, paper and carryout bags, failed to gain traction in either chamber of the legislature earlier this year.

Julie Lawson, who organizes the Trash Free Maryland Alliance for the Anacostia Watershed Society, said she hopes changes to how the profits from the bag tax would be distributed might encourage lawmakers to look favorably upon the bill.

She expects the charge could generate between $10 million and $15 million annually, which would be split between a trust fund to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland counties that would use the money to comply with relatively new state requirements for treating stormwater runoff.

“It’s certainly not going to solve all of their budget requirements for [stormwater runoff], but it’s a start,” Lawson said.

The group also is looking for new sponsors for the legislation, which was shepherded by Montgomery County lawmakers Del. Alfred C. Carr Jr. (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington and Jamie B. Raskin (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park last year.

Montgomery County passed a similar tax this spring and would be exempted from the state law, Lawson said.

Sen. David R. Brinkley, a Republican serving on the Task Force on Sustainable Growth and Wastewater Disposal, said opponents still will bristle at the bag fee because they also oppose the state regulations on stormwater runoff.

“The League of Conservation Voters is out of touch with what Maryland families are facing,” Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market said. “To them, we can tax ourselves into prosperity and cleanliness, and unfortunately for the rest of us, we have to pay the bill.”

sbreitenbach@gazette.net