Maryland League of Conservation Voters: 2007 Special Session Environmental Legislative Wrap-up

Maryland League of Conservation Voters 

2007 Special Session Environmental Legislative Wrap-up   
 
Online at: http://www.mdlcv.org/files/2007_mdlcv_special_session_wrap_up.pdf

 

For several months, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters has been preparing for the special session that ended in the wee hours of November 19th. The past three weeks have been a roller coaster ride for the environment in Annapolis.

On November 2, the House Environmental Matters Committee heard what was then called the "Green Fund."  Just one day later, a headline in the Baltimore Sun proclaimed "Senate kills 'green fund' bill."  Fortunately, this headline proved to be false. Early this morning, the General Assembly passed a tax package, the shining piece of which was the inclusion of $50 million in dedicated funding to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, known as the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund. The policy on how to spend the money adopted by the House did not pass the Senate, but we are hopeful that this forward-thinking policy will pass in the regular session that begins on January 9, 2008. 

Thank you for helping the Maryland League of Conservation Voters give the environment a voice in Annapolis. Your emails, phone calls, and visits to legislators really made a difference. We also want to thank the legislature and the O'Malley Administration for taking this first step toward closing the environmental deficit in the state. The long hours and very hard work will result in a healthier bay and a better Maryland.

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Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund - Funding - Thumbs UP

The General Assembly passed $50 million in dedicated funding for the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund (formerly known as the "Green Fund") and Governor O'Malley signed this legislation today.  Establishing this fund is a great first step at addressing non-point source pollution that enters the bay.  Where this money came from is important to note as the Senate version had included raiding $21 million from Program Open Space funds-a move strongly opposed by MD LCV and other environmental organizations.  The final version of the bill does not raid Program Open Space funds

Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund - Policy - Thumbs DOWN

The General Assembly failed to enact the mechanism for managing the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund.  We were pleased that the House passed HB 23, which detailed the plan for cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay and would allow Maryland to significantly increase its ability to meet the goals outlined in the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement.  The bill never came out of the Senate, but we look forward to working with them in January to pass this legislation.

Closing the Loophole for Program Open Space  - Thumbs UP

Included in the governor's tax package was a measure to close the loophole that allows Limited Liability Corporations to transfer real estate without paying the real estate transfer tax, funds that go to Program Open Space for land conservation.  This bill is critical to the full funding of Program Open Space, as the state currently loses countless sums of money each year due to this loophole.  This passed both chambers and was signed by the governor.

Park Funding - Thumbs UP / DOWN

Environmental organizations urged the governor and the legislature to close the existing state forest and park operations funding deficit during this special session.  Legislation passed by the General Assembly includes a recommendation that the governor allocate $21 million for state forest and park operations in 2008. Unfortunately, this money comes from taking the local share of Program Open Space funds resulting in less money for county park acquisition and development. 

Other Legislation - Thumbs DOWN

The legislature had the opportunity to act on two other environmental bills this session, but failed to vote them out of committee.  The first was a recommendation from this summer's "Greening the Budget" report to end the coal-mining tax credit.  The other was a bill to expand the solar energy tax credit.