Filter By:
Type
State
Priority
Posted On
Search Results
Victory: Open Space Loophole Closed in Baltimore County
This week, the Baltimore County Council voted to pass Bill 37-19, which closes two loopholes that impacted open space requirements in the county. Previously, developers could count parking lot islands and private amenities towards their required open space acreage. Common sense dictates that little patches of grass surrounded by parking lot and private amenities, like rooftop pools, are not public recreational space.
Councilmen Marks and Quirk introduced Bill 37-19 to close loopholes that enabled developers to shirk their requirements to provide community open space. Residents around
Three Bridge Alignments Announced for Third Span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
Maryland recently completed a two-year study on the Chesapeake Bay Bridgethat included three recommendations for new crossings. The state is looking at potential bridges between Pasadena and Rock Hall, between Mayo and Easton, and alongside the current spans between Arnold and Kent Island. These sites, along with a "no build" option will be presented at community meetings throughout Maryland.
The first environmental impact statement is not expected to be completed until 2021, and at this time the announced alignments are preliminary. The logistical questions about new highway alignment
Maryland Denies Permits for Southern MD Solar Project
Today, the Maryland Department of the Environment announced that they are denying the permits to clear cut over 200 acres of Southern Maryland forest for a solar project.
Clean Water Action, along with many other local and regional groups and individuals, objected to the proposal, pointing out the problems with clearing forest for solar development. While solar energy is beneficial and we have an urgent need to transition off fossil fuels, we need to place it with care and foresight. Choosing a site for solar development that requires clear cutting over 200 acres and impairing a high quality
CB38-2019 Protect This Watershed
Howard County has a lot of upcoming legislation with hearings scheduled in September. This includes CB38-2019, the Protect This Watershed bill.
Councilwoman Liz Walsh's CB38-2019 is a very big bill that is responding to the problem of waivers in the Patapsco Lower North Branch Watershed. Many laws involving the environment include waivers at the discretion of the overseeing agency, mainly to provide needed flexibility in unforeseen circumstances. When waivers become routine practice, they undermine the effectiveness of that legislation.
CB38-2019 places limits on what waivers the Howard
Forest Forum - August 20th
On Tuesday, August 20th, County Executive Pittman is holding a town hall at South River High School (201 Central Ave E, Edgewater, MD 21037) at 6:30 PM to present his proposed update to Anne Arundel County's Forest Conservation laws.
Forests throughout Maryland are disappearing, replaced by development. When trends are analyzed, it becomes apparent that Maryland's state minimum forest conservation practices are not doing a good job at protecting our contiguous and heavily forested parcels. It is in these heavily forested parcels that the state is losing hundreds of acres a year.
Anne Arundel