Maryland was once nationally renowned for its Smart Growth programs, but commitment to Smart Growth principles has diminished under the Ehrlich Administration. Despite projections of enormous population growth over the next several decades, the Governor has refused to engage in state-level leadership in managing growth. The Administration’s unwillingness to stop the devastating development outside Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and its proposal to allow developers to purchase water from state lands raise very serious concerns.

Blackwater Refuge Development – FAILING

Maryland’s Blackwater National Refuge on the Eastern Shore is a thriving marshland full of wildlife and critical habitat near the City of Cambridge. The fragile refuge is very susceptible to the pressures of modern population, such as pollution, runoff, and chemicals. A new planned development would build a golf course and clubhouse, a conference center and hotel, parking lots, and a retail center in the most environmentally sensitive area within 1,000 feet of the Little Blackwater River, which flows straight into the Refuge and the Chesapeake Bay. Under Maryland planning law and the 1997 Smart Growth law, the state could have not only refused to endorse this plan, it could have challenged it. The Ehrlich Administration has refused to intervene.

Proposal to Drill for Water in State Lands - FAILING

Maryland is experiencing rapid population growth and development, and water shortages in areas that have poorly planned development are becoming common. In 2006 the Ehrlich Administration’s Department of Natural Resources revealed a proposal to lease or sell water on and under state lands to private developers. Drilling for water in state lands would allow even more unsustainable development projects. It would also encourage such unwise development nearer to sensitive park resources and diminish the water available to the park for its own natural purposes.

Terrapin Run - FAILING

A development slated for Terrapin Run in Allegany County is another example of environmentally destructive development failing to abide by basic Smart Growth principles. This development would put 4,300 houses and a shopping plaza on 900 acres of land intended for conservation or agriculture use. It is located in one of the driest areas of the state and would have to pull 250,000 gallons of water per day from a nearby creek. The development is completely lacking in infrastructure to support it – in fact, the nearest middle or high school is 30 miles away. The Ehrlich Administration has refused to intervene.

Advisory Committee to Review Water Needs – SATISFACTORY

Maryland’s population will grow by more than one million people in the next quarter-century, which will put a strain on critical drinking water resources. Governor Ehrlich formed an Advisory Committee on the Management and Protection of the State’s Water Resources in 2003, and in 2005 he extended a successor committee. This committee’s purpose is to advise the State in programs and policies for the long-term sustainable use and protection of water resources. The 16 member Advisory Committee was to report its interim findings and recommendations by July 1, 2006 and its final findings and recommendations by July 1, 2008.