Gov. Martin O’Malley and Environment Secretary Robert Summers were questioned by lawmakers Tuesday on the cost for the proposed consumption-based flush tax on homes and businesses. [...more]
Eastern Shore farmers and representatives of the poultry industry told lawmakers Friday that EPA estimates on nutrient pollution from poultry production are outdated and way overstated, according to a new study from the University of Delaware. [...more]
Many homes on public water and sewer in Maryland could see their flush tax triple to over $100 a year for the Bay Restoration Fund -- much higher than homes on septic systems, which would see the fee double to a $60 cap under Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposed consumption-based tax. [...more]
Environment Secretary Robert Summers told Eastern Shore lawmakers the Bay Restoration Fund needs an additional $385 million to upgrade 67 sewage treatment plants in Maryland and echoed Gov. Martin O’Malley’s call to double the flush tax to $60 a year. [...more]
A new poll found that 62% of rural respondents favored tighter regulations on septic systems, and 57% favored “limiting the number of septic systems in rural areas. ”The poll of 801 registered voters by Opinion Works in mid-December found statewide support was 72% for tighter septic regulations, and 69% for limiting the number septic systems in the state. [...more]
Doubling the flush tax to $60 a year is one of the revenue increases Gov. Martin O'Malley proposed Wednesday in his fiscal 2013 budget. Revenue from the tax goes into the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund to upgrade sewage treatment plants. Money from septic system users is also used to upgrade some of those systems and pay for cover crops. The new money is needed because the upgrades have cost more than originally estimated. [...more]
Maryland’s poultry industry is worth more than $600 million annually – but produces enough waste to pile up to the top of nearly two football stadiums and create about 40% of the phosphorus that pollutes the Chesapeake Bay, according to a report released Wednesday by Environment Maryland. [...more]
Comments have been heard, changes have been incorporated, and now PlanMaryland is an official state policy. Gov. Martin O’Malley received the final draft of the planning document from Planning Secretary Richard Hall at a State House ceremony Monday morning. O’Malley issued an executive order declaring that the plan will now be recognized as the official state development plan. [...more]
Auditors found serious problems at the Maryland Department of the Environment, including questionable grants paid out of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund, failure to do required safety screenings and construction site inspections and undisclosed computer system issues. [...more]
Some of the deeper issues underlying PlanMaryland – like problems with the economic and environmental issues cited in the comprehensive state development plan proposed by Gov. Martin O’Malley – took center stage at a forum sponsored by the Carroll County Board of Commissioners in Pikesville. [...more]
