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Pro-Farm Bill Supported by Maryland Republicans and Democrats |
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A newly elected conservative Republican legislator has pulled off a fairly remarkable feat: Frederick County Del. Kathy Afzali persuaded Gov. Martin O’Malley to support and personally testify on her bill to cut death taxes on family farms.
Afzali’s bill mirrors federal law and exempts the first $5 million in value of a family farm from Maryland estate taxes, and then puts a 5% death tax on the remaining value. The current tax rate is 16% on any property worth more than $1 million.
Not only is O’Malley on board, but so are 42 other delegates, including 17 Democrats, some from the liberal Washington suburbs. Afzali said the Chesapeake Bay Foundation also supports the measure.
“I’m sitting on the greenest bill in the state legislature, and the most pro-farm,” Afzali said. “It is very possible for Republicans to be green.”
“There’s nothing better to protect more open space than a farm,” Afzali said. “If our farms start going out of business, where do we go for our food?”
O’Malley spokesman Shaun Adamec confirmed that the governor plans to testify for the legislation at its hearing next Thursday, a bit unusual for a proposal that is not part of his own legislative package.
“I think it speaks to how strongly he feels about preserving farmland,” Adamec said. “It’s a bill that will help Maryland farmers,” especially given the concerns farmers have expressed about O’Malley’s proposed restrictions on septic systems on subdivided farms.
Lawmakers from farm country – mostly rural Republicans – have been up in arms about the septic plan.
Afzali said she approached the governor at the Maryland Agriculture Council annual dinner Feb. 7. She explained the bill to him, and according to Afzali, he said, “Yep, you’re right. It’s time we change this.”
She and Democratic Sen. Ron Young from her district, the Senate sponsor, then met with Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance.
After that, “I went to every Democrat I knew” to sign on co-sponsors, Afzali said.
Afzali admitted that the biggest hurdle for the bill may be how much it will cost the state, and she has yet to see those figures. Such fiscal notes are typically finished shortly before the hearing.
According to the Board of Revenue Estimates, death taxes are highly volatile but bring in about $200 million a year. Farms would likely make up a small percentage of that, Afzali said.
“You’ve got to look at these things on a long-term basis,” Adamec said, not any immediate revenue loss.
Support for this bill is also consistent with the subsidies O’Malley supports for the race tracks and horse racing industry, which the governor sees as a way to preserve horse farms, open space and the jobs they provide.
“Creating jobs and savings jobs is not just in the I-270 corridor,” Adamec said, but extends to the rural areas of the state.
By Len Lazarick,
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MarylandReporter.com
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Adkins Arboretum transforms landscape into works of art |
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 by Lara Lutz
"Art is a harmony parallel with nature."
Artist Paul C'zanne expressed these thoughts more than a century ago, but he would nevertheless recognize how well they are explored today at Adkins Arboretum on Maryland's Eastern Shore. And rest assured-you don't need artistic talent to enjoy it.
Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre showcase of blooms and textures native to the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain. Located 25 miles east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Adkins is the only arboretum focused on plants native to the Eastern Shore. It's also a member of the National Park Service's Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, a system of natural, historical and cultural sites that highlight Chesapeake region heritage.
Throughout the arboretum, a team of staff, artists and volunteers has interpreted and accented the landscape to emphasize both the beauty of the moment and the play of seasonal change.
"We draw from many disciplines to help people appreciate nature and the environment," said executive director Ellie Altman. "Art is one more way of doing that-it helps to see anew and discover beauty and wonder."
Exhibits in Adkins' art gallery rotate throughout the year. In February and March, it features top entries in the arboretum's annual art competition, which receives nature-related entries from throughout the East Coast.
During the summer, visitors will discover playful and provoking outdoor sculpture tucked into nooks of fields and forests.
Poetry workshops, films, and nature journaling also enrich the experience at Adkins, along with music performances and a book club. But the arts play a supporting role for the arboretum's primary mission: conserving the native landscape.
Nurturing the region's native plants is important because much is being lost to development. This is especially troubling because the Delmarva Peninsula hosts a wide range of species.
"This is the center of the Coastal Plain, which stretches from Florida to Maine. So species that prefer the north and species that prefer the south both tend to overlap here. We even have some overlap with Piedmont habitat, which is farther to the west," said conservation curator Sylvan Kaufman.
The arboretum protects and nurtures more than 600 species of native plants, shrubs and trees.
Before the arboretum opened in 1980, most of its 400 acres were farmland, mixed with small patches of forests. Today the forests are about a century old, filled with oak, pawpaw, river birch, holly, magnolia and ironwood trees. In warmer months, the understory swells with azaleas, may apples, laurel, pink lady slippers and cranefly orchids.
Two meadows also provide a tranquil setting for walkers. Both host a variety of wildlife, such as bobwhite quail, bluebirds, turkeys, foxes, deer and field mice.
Four miles of trails loop through the grounds on flat to mildly rounded terrain. Blockston Branch Trail is handicapped accessible, winding through a narrow stream valley that was carved by the last ice age. Bikes and leashed dogs are welcome. Winter visits, on foot or cross-country skis, are also rewarding.
"That's when you can really see the structure of the forest, and the shape of the trees," Kaufman said. "The river birch has such pretty, peeling bark. And there are great views, going deeper through the trees than you can see at other times of year."
Winter is also an excellent time to see how plants transform. Winterberry sheds its leaves to reveal red berries along the length of its branches. Milkweed has hollow pods where seeds and silk escaped into the fall winds. The cranefly orchid sends broad green leaves onto the forest floor to absorb light while the tree canopy is thin.
The winter demonstration gardens may help visitors re-think their landscaping options. Here, a pleasant combination of shapes and textures adorn plants that homeowners often hack to the ground by autumn, more from habit than necessity.
Any time of year, Adkins Arboretum offers plenty of resources to help visitors understand what they encounter and to use their knowledge at home. They offer workshops on garden design, help with plant research, and host plant sales twice a year.
"People don't always know about native plants that are excellent in the ornamental landscape and also attract beneficial wildlife," Altman said. "Homeowners who've made the switch discover many rewards year-round."
Guided walks, free with admission, take place on most Saturdays between April and November and on the first Wednesdays of those months. For self-guided tours, pick up "What's in Bloom?"-a take-along trail guide that is tailored to the season. The same information can be previewed on the arboretum's website.
An audio tour is another option, blending several local voices that describe natural and cultural history along the trails.
Adkins Arboretum plans to open a new, larger visitor's center in 2009. The center will use environmentally sustainable building techniques and enhance the nearby gardens and boardwalks. It will also, of course, feature more exhibit space, to celebrate the art and ecosystem of the Bay's Coastal Plain and to inspire those who visit.
Distributed by Bay Journal News Service |
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Shoreline Licensing For Waterfront Property Owners Now Open |
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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife and Heritage Service announced that shoreline license applications are now being accepted from riparian (waterfront) property owners. Anyone owning riparian property, or persons who have the permission of the riparian property owner, may license their shoreline for the purpose of establishing stationary blinds or blind sites for hunting waterfowl, or to prevent others from licensing the shoreline at a later date. Deadline for applications is June 1.
All applications and fees must be submitted by mail or in person and received by the close of business June 1, 2011. Riparian property owners may now license their shoreline for a period of one year ($20) or three years ($60). Landowners who miss the June 1 deadline may participate in the “open” licensing process that begins August 2.
Applications and information on laws related to shoreline licensing for riparian property owners are available at the DNR website http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Licenses/riparian.asp or by calling the Wildlife and Heritage Service at 410-260-8540, toll free at 1-877-620-8DNR (8367). |
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Governor's Goal: A More Sustainable Maryland |
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A More Sustainable Maryland
by Martin O'Malley, Governor
This week, I joined with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Senator Pinksy, Delegate Lafferty and many other environmental advocates and legislators to introduce new reforms to protect our Bay by preventing pollution from septic systems.
Together, we are working to restore the health of our Bay. Our blue crab population is rebounding, our native oyster is thriving, we're reducing pollution caused by aging sewage treatment plants and stormwater run-off, and we're planting record numbers of cover crops. But we cannot continue to ignore one of the biggest causes of pollution in the Bay: septic systems. That's why these reforms will drastically reduce the number of new septic systems in our State, and place a ban on new septic systems in major new Maryland housing developments.
This week, we also introduced the Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2011. In Maryland, we've set a goal of increasing Maryland's renewable energy portfolio by 20 percent by 2022. Our State has emerged as one of the leaders in the effort to harness the power of offshore wind – an industry with the potential to create thousands of jobs and power hundreds of thousands of homes. This bill will require long-term power-purchase agreements with offshore wind generation facilities, so we can focus on our State's energy security in the future. And to expand Maryland's "green jobs" sector, we are also introducing legislation to promote the purchase and use of electric vehicles and tap into renewable energy innovation.
Our children's future rests on our ability to take advantage of opportunities in the new economy. From reducing pollution in our Bay to establishing the framework for clean energy, we are ensuring that our children and theirs will be able to enjoy our State's natural treasures and realize the benefits of a cleaner, greener, more sustainable Maryland.
Martin O'Malley
Governor |
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Chesapeake Bay Foundation President Issues Statement on EPA Bill |
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CBF ISSUES STATEMENT ON GOODLATTE BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT WOULD ELIMINATE ALL MONEY FOR EPA’S BAY CLEAN-UP PLAN
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) President William C. Baker issued this statement regarding Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s notice that he intends to file an amendment to the fiscal 2011 funding bill. That amendment would eliminate all Environmental Protection Agency funding to “develop, promulgate, evaluate, implement, provide oversight to,” Bay clean-up efforts under the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).
“How unfortunate that Congressman Goodlatte, who represents one of the states that would benefit most from a healthy Chesapeake Bay, is seeking to torpedo the Bay restoration plan before its ink is scarcely dry. The cleanup plan, finalized just weeks ago, is the result of years of intense work, community outreach, and consensus agreement among scientists, policymakers, and leaders in six states. It follows decades of widely acknowledged failure to restore a national treasure that multiple presidents, governors, and members of Congress have pledged to restore and that millions of voters have consistently said they support.
“A successful Chesapeake Bay restoration plan simply must have a fully supportive and involved federal partner. As history has shown, the Bay states cannot do it alone. The Bay TMDL may well represent the Bay’s best and last chance for restoration. Its goal is to restore clean water to the Chesapeake and to tributaries such as the Shenandoah River, a polluted river flowing through Congressman Goodlatte’s own district, by 2025. Pollutions has resulted in fish kills, dead zones, and impacts to human health, as well as costing jobs and damaging local economies. CBF fervently hopes the Goodlatte amendment will be defeated.”
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Eastern Shore Legislators Oppose Septic Tank Restrictions |
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By Len Lazarick
As far as some rural lawmakers are concerned, the proposed new limits on septic systems for homebuilding backed by Gov. Martin O’Malley and environmentalists are part of a “war on rural Maryland,” as a new website describes it.
“This is about a power grab, this is not about the environment,” said Senate Republican Whip E.J. Pipkin, from the four Upper Shore Counties, who launched the fledgling website with Del. Michael Smigiel, R-Upper Shore.
O’Malley and environmentalists disagree.
Gov. Martin O'Malley, left, with Chesapeake Bay Foundation President Will Baker
“It’s simply dumb growth, it’s expensive and it’s polluting,” said Will Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at a news conference with the governor. Septic systems produce five times as much nitrogen and nutrient pollution as sewage processed through waste-water plants, he said.
The bill by Del. Stephen Lafferty, and the Senate version by Sen. Paul Pinsky, would give the state veto authority over any housing development of five units or more that does not connect to a government-run sewer system or have its own waste-water treatment plant. Even smaller developments of one or two homes must have more sophisticated nitrogen-removing septic systems.
According to the bill, Maryland has 430,000 on-site septic systems releasing 4 million pounds of nitrogen that makes its way into the Chesapeake and coastal bays by seeping into ground waters. That’s about 8% of the nitrogen load that goes into the bays.
Gov. Martin O’Malley said Monday it was the one area of bay pollution that had been increasing, as progress was being made on pollution from farm runoff, storm water and treatment plants.
O’Malley’s support of the legislation was one of the few surprises in his Feb. 3 State of the State address, but the details of the legislation were not fully known until Lafferty introduced the bill Friday.
The proposal was immediately attacked by Republican legislators from rural areas as a jobs-killing measure that would further devastate the hard-hit homebuilding industry and destroy rural land values by curtailing development.
But O’Malley countered, “What good is a property that sits on a dead river?”
Lafferty, a Towson Democrat, said that 140,000 acres of farmland have been lost over the last 10 years through the proliferation of small developments with septic systems.
“I don’t really see the doom and gloom,” Lafferty said. “I don’t see the devastation of land values… It does not stop all development as has been reported.”
O’Malley pointed out that Worcester and Caroline counties on the Eastern Shore had already taken similar steps on their own to curb development.
Eastern Shore legislators who attended the news conference were not mollified.
Del. Mike McDermott, the new Republican delegate from Worcester County, including Ocean City, said, “No Eastern Shore senators or delegates were consulted” before the introduction of the bill.
McDermott said as mayor of Pocomoke City, he was involved in the county planning process. By involving local citizens and officials, “you generate a cohesive plan.”
He said the Lafferty-Pinsky bill is “an over-reach by a state agency. It ought to be done at the local level.”
He noted the co-sponsors on the bills were all urban and suburban legislators from areas that would be little affected by the measure.
Pipkin also complained that the sponsors “never bothered to ask us.”
“This concept is so flawed,” since it gives the state departments of the environment and planning veto power over local rules, Pipkin said. “It needs to be rethought.”
Pipkin said Monday he met with the Cecil County administrator and planning officials who were already in the midst of drafting rules to implement the new Chesapeake watershed implementation plan mandated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA mandates total daily maximum loads (TDML) of pollutants that may flow into the bay.
“In the middle of this process, we got this power grab,” Pipkin said.
The legislation grandfathers any housing subdivisions that were submitted for local approval before Jan. 1 of this year and are approved by July 1, meaning the new law would not apply to them. State officials said they had no idea how many houses that might involve.
Read more: http://marylandreporter.com/2011/02/15/eastern-shore-legislators-mount-opposition-to-septic-tank-restrictions/#ixzz1E2mrT0oE
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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY INTRODUCES THE MARYLAND OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY ACT OF 2011 |
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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY INTRODUCES THE MARYLAND OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY ACT OF 2011
Bill will boost offshore wind development to generate much needed clean, renewable energy, create new ‘green’ jobs, and promote long-term price stability
ANNAPOLIS, MD – On Friday, Governor Martin O'Malley introduced the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2011, which will boost offshore wind development to generate much needed clean, renewable energy, create new ‘green’ jobs, and promote long-term price stability. The bill will require that public utilities leverage Maryland’s outstanding offshore wind resources by entering into long-term purchase agreements with wind power generation facilities off of the Mid-Atlantic coast. Harnessing the potential of offshore wind power is essential to ensuring that Maryland meets its Renewable Portfolio Standard goal of generating 20% of its energy from renewable resources by 2022.
“Thanks to the tough choices we’ve made over the last four years, Maryland has emerged as one of the leaders in the effort to harness the power of offshore wind – an industry with the potential to create thousands of jobs and power hundreds of thousands of homes,” said Governor O'Malley. “By requiring the utilities to enter into long-term agreements, we can finally shift our focus from short term profit to our state's long-term energy security.”
An analysis conducted by the US Department of Energy estimates that offshore wind will create approximately 20.7 direct jobs per annual megawatt, including jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and skilled labor. A 500MW wind generation facility in the waters off of the Delmarva coast could generate as many as 2,000 manufacturing and construction jobs during the five-year development period, with an additional 400 permanent jobs once the turbines are spinning.
The bill, which was submitted Friday before the General Assembly as HB 1054, seeks to diversify the terms by which energy is purchased in Maryland by requiring long-term power-purchase agreements with offshore wind generation facilities, which would be located more than 10 miles from Maryland’s Atlantic coast. These purchase agreements allow Maryland to lock-in rates over the long-term, providing price stability and predictability in what is otherwise a potentially volatile commodity market.
The bill requires that public utilities purchase between 400-600 megawatts (MW) of power from offshore wind generation facilities in federal waters off Maryland’s coastline for a period of twenty or more years. Five hundred MW of offshore wind energy is enough to power more than half of the homes in the City of Baltimore, or 79% of the homes on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. For residential ratepayers, the Public Service Commission currently directs the utilities to procure approximately 25% of their power at a time, in two year contracts, making ratepayers vulnerable to periodic increases in the market price of energy, particularly traditional electricity based on fossil fuel resources.
Due to its ideal location in the Mid-Atlantic, as well as the deep-water port and manufacturing infrastructure in Baltimore, Maryland is well positioned to be a leader not only in offshore wind energy generation, but also in ongoing construction and maintenance.
“Offshore wind power is our best, most promising renewable energy resource,” said Malcolm Woolf, Director of the Maryland Energy Administration. “If we act now we can ensure long-term price stability, create jobs, and generate much needed clean energy to power the next generation of Maryland innovation.”
For more information on the Administration’s renewable energy efforts, visit the Maryland Energy Administration. |
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"Take Your Family to the National Parks" Essay Contest! |
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If you've always dreamed of visiting a national park, and wanted to take your family along, here's your opportunity. Three grand-prize winners of the Traveler's first Take Your Family to the National Parks essay contest will win lodging for four members of their family in one of the country's national parks, and some gear to help to help them enjoy the trip.
Today's younger generations will become tomorrow's park stewards. With that in mind, we want to hear from youngsters in elementary, middle, and high school on how they view the national parks.
Entries are being accepted through March 1 from students in three age brackets: 8-11, 12-15, and 16-18. Essays, which must be solely the work of the participant, must be submitted to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Word limits are 300-500 for the first two age brackets, and up to 700 words for 16-18 year-olds.
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GE Partners with EPA on Responsible Appliance Disposal Program |
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 GE Partners with EPA on Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Landfill Waste
GE is the first appliance manufacturer to partner on the EPA RAD Program
Agreement with Appliance Recycling Centers of America (ARCA) will reduce the typical landfill waste of a refrigerator by approximately 85 percent by weight
Innovative technology being used by ARCA and GE is the first in the U.S.
(NYSE:GE) - GE Appliances & Lighting today became the first appliance manufacturer to partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in their Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program to help protect the ozone layer and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The EPA's voluntary program focuses on refrigeration appliance recycling best practices, including the recovery of foam in used refrigerators, and is consistent with GE's ecomagination initiative to deploy solutions for today's energy and environmental challenges.
Approximately nine million refrigerators are disposed of annually in the U.S., and only a fraction has the insulating foam in their walls and doors recycled. While 90 percent of used refrigerators in the U.S. are shredded for their metal, the remaining foam and other materials typically go to a landfill1. During the shredding process, a substantial amount of GHG and ozone-depleting substance (ODS) emissions are released into the atmosphere.
GE, ARCA partner to lead refrigeration recycling movement
Integral to GE's partnership on the EPA RAD Program, is an agreement with Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARCI) to supply used-appliance volume from a six-state region to ARCA Advanced Processing's regional recycling center in Pennsylvania. ARCA is investing in proven appliance recycling technology from UNTHA Recycling Technology (URT) that recovers approximately 95 percent of the insulating foam in refrigerators, reducing landfill waste and GHG and ODS emissions as compared to what typically happens in the industry today.
"GE's commitment to develop and deploy solutions to today's environmental challenges is a top priority," said GE Appliances & Lighting President and CEO James Campbell. "We have made major investments in home energy management and supported aggressive energy-efficiency standards for appliances. Working with the EPA and ARCA on responsible appliance disposal is another great step forward in the spirit of GE's ecomagination initiative."
"GE and ARCA's management of refrigerators, particularly the foam insulation, during the recycling process is innovative and raises the bar in the U.S. appliance industry," said Drusilla Hufford, Stratospheric Protection Division Director of the EPA. "As the first appliance manufacturer to join EPA's RAD Program, GE is demonstrating leadership by responsibly recycling appliances and reducing harmful emissions to help protect our planet."
Today, the U.S. appliance recycling industry is very fragmented with wide variation in processes and little investment in foam recycling technology. GE and ARCA have plans to vastly improve appliance recycling and refrigerator foam recovery in the U.S. These joint efforts will significantly reduce landfill waste and GHG and ODS emissions.
Not only do GE and the EPA believe recycling refrigerant-containing appliances is a critical step in protecting our environment, but a recent survey2 conducted on behalf of GE suggests 70 percent of consumers want all or part of their used appliance to be recycled.
New investment in technology is a game changer
"ARCA prides itself on innovation," said Jack Cameron, ARCA President and CEO. "The technology we're investing in - a precise, sealed and fully-automated refrigerator recycling system - will be the first URT system in North America. With GE's logistics expertise and customer relationships and ARCA's investment in this leading-edge technology, this partnership is a game-changer for U.S. appliance recycling."
The URT system includes the capability to automatically capture the blowing agents, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and cyclopentane from the insulating foam in refrigerators and freezers. GE and ARCA's initial recycling efforts will begin at ARCA Advanced Processing's regional recycling center in Pennsylvania. The center is on schedule to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2011.
"The potential of this technology is tremendous," said Brian Conners, President and COO of ARCA Advanced Processing. "If the foam from the 9 million refrigerators disposed of annually in the U.S. were processed through this recycling technology, the greenhouse gas emissions avoided would be equivalent to the annual CO2-e emissions of more than 2.4 million cars on U.S. roads." |
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"Local" Maryland Food Defined |
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If you buy "locally grown" food do you really know where it comes from? Rules regulating the advertising of "local" foods was announced Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. The regulations were drafted by MDA as part of a law signed by Governor O'Malley earlier this year which seeks to bring clarity to consumers as to what constitutes local.
“With the increased interest in buying local and the current lack of agreement on defining local, we feel it is paramount that consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions about their food purchases,” said Secretary Hance. “If advertising a food product as ‘local’, the proposed regulations will require businesses to disclose the origin of their product and consumers can make their own determination if a food advertised as ‘local’ meets their standard.”
The law authorizes the Secretary to regulate the use of the terms "local" or "locally grown" when used to advertise agricultural and seafood products. It aims to support Maryland farmers and provide transparency to consumers interested in purchasing local foods by informing Marylanders about their local foods purchases. In recent years, interest in locally produced foods has surged, leading to the rapid growth of farmer's markets, and the appearance of Maryland products in restaurants and grocery stores. However, there has been little agreement as to the definition of "local" foods. A task force of farmers, retail representatives, consumer advocates, and other interested stakeholders provided input for the proposal.
The 2010 Policy Choices Survey by the University of Baltimore Schaefer Center for Public Policy found that 78 percent of Marylanders are more likely to buy produce that is identified as having been grown by a Maryland farmer. |
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