BALTIMORE, MD — Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and Maryland Department of Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain, today announced a $2.2 million settlement and consent decree against the owner of a Baltimore broadcast tower and its contractor after lead paint chips and debris spread across surrounding neighborhoods – reaching parks, playground, and daycares. The settlement resolves a civil lawsuit filed by the Office of the Attorney General on behalf of Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), and follows separate guilty pleas by the contractor and its principal on criminal environmental charges filed by Attorney General Brown’s Environmental and Natural Resources Crimes Unit.
Television Tower, Inc. (“TTI”) owns an approximately 1000-foot broadcast tower located near the 3700 block of Malden Avenue in Baltimore City. TTI is an entity composed of and representing local broadcast companies.
In May 2023, Attorney General Brown, on behalf of MDE, filed a civil complaint alleging that in May 2022, TTI, knowing the tower contained lead-based paint, hired Skyline Tower Painting, Inc. (“Skyline”) to repaint the tower. Skyline was not accredited to provide lead paint abatement services in Maryland. The complaint further alleged that Skyline removed lead paint from the Tower by scraping and forceful power washing, with no controls or containment to prevent the spreading of lead-based paint chips in the surrounding neighborhoods such as Woodberry. The complaint further alleged that the work, conducted between May 28, 2022, and June 21, 2022, caused lead paint chips and debris to spread as far as a quarter to half a mile away.
“Our expectation is clear: work that risks public health must be done safely and in full compliance with the law. That did not happen here,” said Attorney General Brown. “This settlement reflects our values—accountability, restoration, and a firm standard that environmental safety is not optional. We will enforce that standard.”
“This settlement is about accountability and about protecting people. No family should have to worry that something as basic as playing outside could put their child at risk,” said Governor Wes Moore. “We are committed to making this right—by cleaning up these neighborhoods, enforcing the law, and making sure this never happens again.”
Lead-containing paint is a well-documented threat to public health. Repeated low-level exposure to lead can cause cumulative harm to the brain, nervous system, and development of young children. Children six and under are most vulnerable and the effects are irreversible. Beyond human health, lead contamination in soil and water can harm wildlife and move through the food chain compounding its impact on the ecosystem.
Although TTI and Skyline were ordered to stop the project and efforts have been ongoing to clean up debris in the surrounding neighborhood, more paint flakes have been found since the activities in 2022 due to unstabilized paint releasing from the tower. TTI has since obtained a new, lead-accredited contractor to finish the tower painting using a containment system that is specially designed for the tower, and Skyline is no longer involved in the project.
“We understand the impact this has had on the community, and it’s important to say clearly that this should not have happened,” said Secretary McIlwain. “This case underscores why strong environmental safeguards—and the careful handling of hazardous materials like lead—are so essential to protecting public health.”
“This settlement and consent decree are about addressing harm done to our some of our youngest, most vulnerable residents at places they should be safe: parks, playgrounds, and daycares,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “For decades, the City has required property owners to mitigate the harm associated with lead paint, and we are committed to holding companies that fail to do so accountable. I am grateful to the Attorney General and all of the State and City partners who worked together to reach this outcome.”
Attorney General Brown’s complaint sought civil penalties for multiple alleged violations of Maryland environmental and public health law, including but not limited to failure to hire an accredited lead abatement contractor, various lead work practice violations by Skyline, improper disposal of solid waste, failure to make a hazardous waste determination, and discharge of a controlled hazardous substance into the environment and state waterways.
Under the $2.2 million settlement filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court today, and in accordance with the Consent Decree, TTI has agreed to:
- Complete all tower repainting work using proper containment systems and accredited contractors by June 30, 2026, with final replacement of the elevator carriage – which addresses remaining areas of flaking paint – by August 31, 2026;
- In addition to following their current ongoing cleanup protocols, conduct a final cleanup and inspection of the surrounding area upon completion of repainting, followed by at least three months of ongoing monitoring and response to any community complaints of paint flakes; and
- Repeat a soil sampling study to confirm no increase in lead soil levels attributable to tower flakes since MDE’s 2023 study.
Skyline will permanently cease all lead abatement, painting, and surface remediation work in Maryland – with Skyline and its principals also prohibited from forming or controlling any company offering such services in the state.
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