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Farmers, Land Preservationists, and Environmentalists urge amendments to ZTA 20-01
Last week, the Montgomery County Council’s joint Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) and Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment (T&E) Committees met to consider recommended amendments to Zoning Text Amendment 20-01, a bill proposed to allow commercial solar facilities in Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve. The Committees voted to support several amendments, but not those most critical to ensuring that Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve can host commercial solar projects without displacing farmers, harming its agricultural economy, and undermining the
Clean Water Accomplishments in Maryland
Maryland’s legislative session ended early for the first time since the Civil War this year, because of COVID-19. This meant that the only piece of legislation we were working on that passed was the ban on chlorpyrifos. Governor Hogan vetoed the chlorpyrifos ban, opting for regulations instead. Regulations can be undone with the stroke of a single pen, which is why Clean Water likes strong legislative language!
Chlorpyrifos is a super toxic pesticide that is dangerous not only to pollinators, but also to people and aquatic life. The US EPA under the Obama administration could not find a safe
Food and Farmworker Protective Standards for COVID-19
Although farmworkers are considered “essential workers,” they have been granted few protections prior to and during the pandemic. As Maryland’s most marginalized workers, farmworkers are particularly vulnerable to exposure to coronavirus because of high rates of respiratory disease due occupational hazards such as the application of pesticides, low rates of health insurance coverage, and substandard living and working conditions. They play a vital role in maintaining our food system, yet lack many of the legal protections that protect most workers, such as sick leave, health insurance, and
Solar Siting in Montgomery County: Testimony ZTA 20-01
UPDATE: The County Council is poised to vote on ZTA 20-01, and the most important of our concerns have still gone unresolved. Send a message to your Council representatives today: they must fix ZTA 20-01 to protect renting farmers and the Agricultural Reserve as a whole.
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On October 5th, Clean Water and Audubon Naturalist Society submitted testimony to the Montgomery County Council explaining our questions and concerns about Zoning Text Amendment 20-01, a proposal to open up the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve for solar development.
1. Introduction
The Montgomery Council
Putting drinking water first in Frederick County
This summer, Frederick County proved itself to be an environmental leader. By passing the Climate Emergency Resolution and two critical bills to protect our forests from development, the county has demonstrated that it's taking its responsibility to fight against and prepare for climate change seriously, and has enacted the strongest forest conservation measures in Maryland. Kudos to all of the organizations and individuals who have been fighting for years to bring these changes into reality!
But the fight for clean water never stops, and this fall, we're back with the County Council to