CUMBERLAND — A bill that would amend the state constitution and require funds designated for Chesapeake Bay cleanup to be actually used for that purpose will go to hearing Tuesday in the House Appropriations Committee.
House Bill 121, sponsored by Delegate Wendell Beitzel, is partly motivated by his frustration with proposed increases in the flush tax and regulations related to bay cleanup efforts.
“The Chesapeake Bay is a state treasure that needs to be protected, and the citizens of the state are paying to ‘save the bay.’ Therefore, the dedicated funds entrusted to the state need to be restricted for their intended purpose,” said Beitzel.
Beitzel said the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund was established in 2004 for the purpose of providing funds for Chesapeake Bay cleanup, wastewater treatment plant upgrades, cover crop funds and septic system upgrades. That fund has been raided often, Beitzel said.
During the 2011 session, Gov. Martin O’Malley’s budget transferred $290 million from the Bay Restoration Fund and the Chesapeake & Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund into the general fund, he said.
Beitzel also doesn’t like Senate Bill 236.
“This bill was the result of the work of the controversial septics task force ... The bill does two very important things. First, it takes a great deal of power from local jurisdictions and vests authority in the Department of Planning. Secondly, the bill restructures state government’s role in regulating the systems by requiring, in some instances, the Department of the Environment to submit and consult with the Department of Planning,” Beitzel wrote in a recent edition of his newsletter.
Senate Bill 236 “... implements a four-tiered comprehensive plan to guide growth on central sewer and septic systems and ensure the land use and pollution impact of future Marylanders is minimized,” according to a press release from O’Malley’s office. The tiers would be required to be inserted into local comprehensive plans.
Beitzel said an increase in the “flush tax” proposed by O’Malley would increase the rate from $30 to $60 for septic system users. Those using city or county systems could see increases of more than $100, he said.
The focus of the measure is to limit the number of cases where larger subdivisions may be on septic systems.
A companion piece of legislation has also been filed by Sen. John Astle. Beitzel and Astle are co-chairs of the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation.
Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com
