The Port of Baltimore is a powerful economic engine. With more than 14,000 jobs, six public marine cargo terminals and one cruise terminal within the port, it broke records in 2012, handling, receiving and shipping 9.59 million tons of cargo worldwide. The port is facing a future of more flooding. Sea levels are rising much faster on the heavily populated East Coast, about 1 foot in Maryland alone during the last century. The Maryland Port Administration has plans to cope with the rising seas.
Month: July 2013
State Roundup, July 31, 2013
State Sens. Astle, Pipkin share common goal of Bay Bridge expansion; two charged with attempting to cast votes for dead mothers; overall, home prices in Maryland are on the rise; U.S. Sen. Cardin unhappy with Obama administration delaying penalties for large corporation that don’t offer health insurance; Montgomery Exec Leggett seeks to stop Pepco’s PSC-approved rate hike; some Baltimore City property taxes rise substantially after state error found; you won’t find Arundel Exec Neuman eating rubber chicken; Alex Mooney courts Tea Party in West Virginia; and private firm begins managing Frederick County owned care facilities.
Rising Seas 3: Weird weather and sea level inching up prompt Baltimore to confront future climate
In Baltimore’s waterfront neighborhoods, flooding is so common that many residents view it as an inevitable nuisance. Some families who have lived along the water for generations have seen dozens of floods and storm surges and have chosen to stay. If sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay region rise 2 to 5 feet this century, as researchers predict, Baltimore neighborhoods would be inundated — along with the 11,700 to 13,000 houses and apartments constructed on those blocks, according to a Capital News Service analysis.
Cardin disappointed in Obamacare delay
Sen. Ben Cardin, a strong advocate for 2010 Affordable Care Act, said that he was disappointed in the Obama administration for delaying the penalty on large employers who don’t offer insurance. Cardin told a roundtable of health care providers in Waldorf on Monday, “I was kind of disappointed. I was hoping that we could implement it.”
State Roundup, July 30, 2013
As stormwater fees take effect, one Baltimore County church seeks relief from bill; public meeting to focus on power plants’ performance; 78% of Maryland roads called fair to good; state Sen. Frosh to challenge Del. Cardin for Democratic nomination for Attorney General; $1 million judgment against Julius “Robocall” Henson stands; and state rules that Baltimore City finance board violated transparency laws over Harbor Point closed meeting.
Rising Seas 2: Former seafood capital Crisfield struggles to survive
Crisfield, the most southern Maryland town, is surrounded by water on three sides. The community rests just 3 feet above sea level — a problem if the bay rises another 2 to 5 feet. The CNS analysis found the entire city and its surrounding neighborhoods would be partially underwater at 2 feet; most would be underwater at 5. Over the past half century, Crisfield has been declared a federal disaster area at least four times because of hurricanes and tropical storms.
Rising Seas video: Strawberry fields not forever; dream farm at risk
The strawberries won’t grow anymore on Steve Mason’s Kent Island farm after Hurricane Isabel. In this video, he talks about the impact of higher water and more severe storms on his father’s dream.
State Roundup, July 29, 2013
State transportation officials, engineers say Bay Bridge is a safe structure; new transportation Secretary Jim Smith ponders getting projects on line quickly and the possibility of a third Bay Bridge crossing; state’s health exchanges to carry lower rates than expected; Maryland officials to announce new health zone for Baltimore City; 1,500 valid voters dropped from rolls in computer error; new Dem U.S. Rep. Delaney sides with the GOP; Worcester commissioner doing better after breaking neck; Carroll commissioner claims her colleagues bullied her.
Rising Seas Part 1: Sea level, sinking land put Maryland’s waterfront communities at risk
Whatever the cause, there is no question that the water level in the Chesapeake Bay is getting higher, a combination of the sea rising 3 to 4 millimeters per year and land sinking about 7 millimeters per year. In the past century, sea level rose over 1 foot. Here is what will happen this century to Maryland’s 7,700 miles of coastline. This is the first in a series about Maryland’s sea level rise put together by the Capital News Service of the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
State Roundup, July 26, 2013
After a tour of the City Detention Center, state lawmakers discuss upgrades, demolition; Gov. O’Malley emphasizes need to address climate change, calling it a “moral obligation” and proposing more renewable energy use and recycling; high court rules – again – that bars aren’t liable for drunk patrons car accidents, urges legislators to address the issue; Gov. O’Malley indicates legislators may need to give the Board of Public Works authority to stop huge developments; Attorney General Gansler pushes his transparency agenda; and Baltimore Development Corp. prez also touts transparency, just before closing meeting without giving a reason.
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