Clean Water and the Bay
The time is now to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Maryland is filled with hidden treasures of natural beauty. A true “America in miniature,” our wonderful state has towering tree-covered mountains in the west, and long stretches of sand-covered beaches on our Eastern Shore, and is home to the bountiful Chesapeake Bay.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has supported or enhanced the protection of many of the most special parks and other natural areas across the state. The Fund was permanently authorized in 2019, but that does not guarantee that the $900 million put into the LWCF account every year will be spent on conservation. Over the 55 years of the program, billions of dollars have been siphoned from the fund for other non-conservation purposes. In fact, this past fiscal year 2020, only $495 million was appropriated to LWCF—far short of full funding, and yet the highest amount in 15 years.
That means the money that should have gone to increasing recreation opportunity for all, protecting our parks from being sold off to the highest bidder, providing close-to-home playgrounds and ballfields to support healthy kids and families, safeguarding our drinking water supplies, and keeping working forests in sustainable operation instead of subdivided and developed — went somewhere else.
There has been unprecedented bipartisan support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act in both the House and Senate. On March 3, President Trump announced via Twitter that he would sign permanent LWCF funding legislation and funding for our National Parks. Since then, major developments are underway to introduce and pass such a joint bill in the Senate, by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Cory Gardner (R-CO). We expect the House to introduce similar legislation soon. (Information from: https://www.lwcfcoalition.com/fundlwcf)
So, what can we do to help the fight to #FundLWCF?
It is crucial that our elected officials hear from the people who love our public lands, benefit from LWCF in their home communities, enjoy having open space in their cities and towns, like having their drinking water protected, and want to secure access to lands and waters for recreational activities.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has provided funding to help protect some of Maryland’s most special places and ensure recreational access for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities.
Maryland has received approximately $231.8 million in LWCF funding over the past five decades, protecting places such as the Assateague Island National Seashore, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Monocacy National Battlefield and the C&O Canal National Historic Park.
Forest Legacy Program (FLP) grants are also funded under LWCF, to help protect working forests. The FLP cost-share funding supports timber sector jobs and sustainable forest operations while enhancing wildlife habitat, water quality and recreation.
For example, the FLP contributed to places such as the Broad Creek in Dublin and the Coastal Bay project in Snow Hill. FLP has directly protected 2,014 acres in Maryland. The program assists states and private forest owners to maintain working forest lands through matching grants for permanent conservation easement and fee acquisitions, and has leveraged approximately $4.6 million in federal funds to invest in Maryland’s forests. These forests enhance air and water quality and provide wildlife habitat and recreational access.
LWCF state assistance grants have further supported hundreds of projects across Maryland’s state and local parks including Conquest Waterfront Preserve in Queen Anne’s County and Seneca State Park in Montgomery County.
Economic Benefits
Active outdoor recreation is an important part of the Maryland economy. The Outdoor Industry Association has found that active outdoor recreation generates $14 billion in consumer spending in Maryland; provides 109,000 jobs that generate $4.4 billion in wages and salaries; and produces nearly $951 million annually in state and local tax revenue. Further, the U.S. Census reports that each year over 2.7 million people hunt, fish, or enjoy wildlife-watching in Maryland, contributing over $1.6 billion in wildlife recreation spending to the state economy.
Funding in Maryland
Federal Total $ 134,400,000
Forest Legacy Program $ 4,600,000
American Battlefield Protection Program $ 3,000,000
Habitat Conservation (Sec. 6) $ 3,500,000
State Program Total State Grants $ 85,300,000
Total $ 231,800,000
Resources:
Majority Leader Hoyer: The time is now to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Maryland is filled with hidden treasures of natural beauty. A true “America in miniature,” our wonderful state has towering tree-covered mountains in the west, and long stretches of sand-covered beaches on our Eastern Shore, and is home to the bountiful Chesapeake Bay.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has supported or enhanced the protection of many of the most special parks and other natural areas across the state. The Fund was permanently authorized in 2019, but that does not guarantee that the $900 million put into the LWCF account every year will be spent on conservation. Over the 55 years of the program, billions of dollars have been siphoned from the fund for other non-conservation purposes. In fact, this past fiscal year 2020, only $495 million was appropriated to LWCF—far short of full funding, and yet the highest amount in 15 years.
That means the money that should have gone to increasing recreation opportunity for all, protecting our parks from being sold off to the highest bidder, providing close-to-home playgrounds and ballfields to support healthy kids and families, safeguarding our drinking water supplies, and keeping working forests in sustainable operation instead of subdivided and developed — went somewhere else.
There has been unprecedented bipartisan support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act in both the House and Senate. On March 3, President Trump announced via Twitter that he would sign permanent LWCF funding legislation and funding for our National Parks. Since then, major developments are underway to introduce and pass such a joint bill in the Senate, by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Cory Gardner (R-CO). We expect the House to introduce similar legislation soon. (Information from: https://www.lwcfcoalition.com/fundlwcf)
So, what can we do to help the fight to #FundLWCF?
It is crucial that our elected officials hear from the people who love our public lands, benefit from LWCF in their home communities, enjoy having open space in their cities and towns, like having their drinking water protected, and want to secure access to lands and waters for recreational activities.
Contacting your Members of Congress, via phone, email, social media, etc, and signing the petition are great ways to help #FundLWCF>>
Here’s a partial list of public lands in our state that receive funding directly through the Land and Water Conservation Fund in District 5- are any of these your favorites?
| Park/ Facility | Address |
| Belts Woods Natural Environmental Area | Church Rd, Bowie, MD 20721 |
| Calvert Cliffs State Park | 10540 H G Trueman Rd, Lusby, MD 20657 |
| Cedarville State Forest | 10201 Bee Oak Rd, Brandywine, MD 20613 |
| Chapel Point State Park | Chapel Point Rd, Port Tobacco, MD 20677 |
| Hallowing Point Boating Facilities | Prince Frederick, Calvert Co |
| Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary and Visitor Center | 11704 Fenno Rd, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 |
| Patuxent River NRMA | (Various) |
| Point Lookout State Park | 11175 Point Lookout Rd, Scotland, MD 20687 |
| Rosaryville State Park | 7805 W Marlton Ave, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 |
| Smallwood State Park | 2750 Sweden Point Rd, Marbury, MD 20658 |
| St. Clement’s Island State Park | Coltons Point, MD 20626 |
| St. Mary’s River State Park/Fishing Lake | 21250 Camp Cosoma Rd, Leonardtown, MD 20650 |
| Zekiah Swamp Natural Environmental Area | La Plata, MD 20646 |
| Nanjemoy WMA | 8420 Riverside Rd, Nanjemoy, MD 20662 |
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has provided funding to help protect some of Maryland’s most special places and ensure recreational access for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities.
Maryland has received approximately $231.8 million in LWCF funding over the past five decades, protecting places such as the Assateague Island National Seashore, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Monocacy National Battlefield and the C&O Canal National Historic Park.
Forest Legacy Program (FLP) grants are also funded under LWCF, to help protect working forests. The FLP cost-share funding supports timber sector jobs and sustainable forest operations while enhancing wildlife habitat, water quality and recreation.
For example, the FLP contributed to places such as the Broad Creek in Dublin and the Coastal Bay project in Snow Hill. FLP has directly protected 2,014 acres in Maryland. The program assists states and private forest owners to maintain working forest lands through matching grants for permanent conservation easement and fee acquisitions, and has leveraged approximately $4.6 million in federal funds to invest in Maryland’s forests. These forests enhance air and water quality and provide wildlife habitat and recreational access.
LWCF state assistance grants have further supported hundreds of projects across Maryland’s state and local parks including Conquest Waterfront Preserve in Queen Anne’s County and Seneca State Park in Montgomery County.
Economic Benefits
Active outdoor recreation is an important part of the Maryland economy. The Outdoor Industry Association has found that active outdoor recreation generates $14 billion in consumer spending in Maryland; provides 109,000 jobs that generate $4.4 billion in wages and salaries; and produces nearly $951 million annually in state and local tax revenue. Further, the U.S. Census reports that each year over 2.7 million people hunt, fish, or enjoy wildlife-watching in Maryland, contributing over $1.6 billion in wildlife recreation spending to the state economy.
Funding in Maryland
Federal Total $ 134,400,000
Forest Legacy Program $ 4,600,000
American Battlefield Protection Program $ 3,000,000
Habitat Conservation (Sec. 6) $ 3,500,000
State Program Total State Grants $ 85,300,000
Total $ 231,800,000
Resources:
Everyone Votes Maryland- Webinar
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us Wednesday night for the Everyone Votes Maryland- The State of Voting webinar. We had a great turnout and went through the ins and outs of voting for the primary and general election.
As Maryland continues to grapple with challenges of the COVID-19 virus, a number of emergency measures have been put in place to protect public health and every Marylander’s right to vote in the upcoming June 2, 2020 Primary Election. This webinar was hosted on May 13, 2020 by the Everyone Votes Maryland coalition.
And here are the slides from the webinar for download or print.
Here’s the recorded webinar:
Topics discussed include changes made to the upcoming election, the impact these changes have on different groups of voters, and how to ensure you are able to exercise your right to vote.
Featured Speakers:
- Kristen Harbeson, MD League of Conservation Voters
- Nicole Hanson-Mundell, Out for Justice
- Ben Jackson, Disability Rights MD
- Joanne Antoine, Common Cause MD
- Ralph Watkins, League of Women Voters MD
- Qiana Johnson, Life After Release
- Rev. Kobi Little, NAACP
- Baltimore Sergio España, ACLU MD
- Cristi Demowicz, Represent MD
- Emily Scarr, Maryland PIRG
- Yaheiry Mora, CASA
- Tasmin Swanson, Baltimore Votes
- Jay Hutchins, Planned Parenthood of MD
Attendees were provided with opportunity to ask questions at the end of the webinar.
Celebrate Earth Today
By Laura Wood, Development Director
Like us, we hope you’re enjoying, exploring, and taking refuge in Maryland’s great outdoors during this unprecedented time. Let’s all celebrate our natural environment today, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day!
Today is such a reminder of how important it is that we protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land on which we live.
We are watchdogs – guardians of our environment – protecting Maryland’s natural resources not only for us, but for our children and future generations.
With your support, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters will work to ensure pro-conservation leaders are elected, and then hold them accountable through our scorecard and policy advocacy.
Only by transforming our political system and electing environmental champions will we create the opportunity to take the bold action needed on climate change.
Celebrate the 50th Earth Day and donate $50 to Maryland League of Conservation Voters now.
Together, we can raise the political voice that is needed to protect Maryland’s environment for the future.
Stay well and healthy,
Laura Wood, Development Director
P.S. Interested in a tax deduction? Make your gift to the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund here.Even if you don’t itemize on your taxes, thanks to the COVID-19 Relief Bill, your contribution could be tax-deductible up to $300 (consult your tax advisor for more information).
2020 Legislative Wrap Up
By Kim Coble, Executive Director
This year’s post-session wrap-up is coming three weeks before it normally would, due to these unprecedented times. What is normally a recap of what bills did or didn’t pass, this year we need to look at things through a slightly fuzzier lens: what passed, what didn’t pass due to legislative inaction, and what was abruptly discarded due to a public health crisis.
At the time the session was curtailed, Maryland LCV and the environmental community were on track to have a successful legislative session, with strong, ambitious legislation passing in the sectors of transportation, energy, resiliency, water, and agriculture.
Unfortunately, as the coronavirus required us to socially distance ourselves, it also meant many of those bills ended up on the figurative cutting room floor. We are still proud of the progress we made, which sets us up for future success. The groundwork we laid on key issues is essential as we face the global crisis of climate change.
There were literally dozens of bold, visionary bills presented this session, most of which were not passed. Here are some of the highlights:
To see the full legislative summary, go here.
Oysters: One of the clearest victories of the year was to further protect our oysters. The veto of last year’s bill – creating an oyster fisheries management program – was overridden. A corrective bill to fix the dates complicated by the veto’s delay passed both chambers unanimously.
- HB720-19/SB830-19 (Barve/Elfreth): Natural Resources – Fishery Management Plans – Oysters
- HB911/SB808 (Gilchrist/Elfreth): Natural Resources – Fishery Management Plans – Oysters
Resiliency: In the face of a public health emergency, the necessity of preparing for emergencies brought on by climate change came into sharper relief. A bill that gives counties the bonding authority for resiliency projects passed, as did one that allows the Bay Restoration Fund to be used to support similar efforts under limited circumstances.
- HB78/SB172 (Watson/Hester): Bay Restoration Fund-Authorized Uses
- HB539/SB457 (Watson/Elfreth): Local Governments – Resilience Authorities – Authorization
Pesticides: After a pitched battle, the General Assembly passed a phase-out ban of Chlorpyrifos – a dangerous pesticide connected to negative health impacts in children.
- HB229/SB300 (Stein/Lam): Pesticides – Use of Chlorpyrifos – Prohibition
Several bills were blocked by negative votes, departmental opposition, or deliberate legislative inaction:
- HB432/SB423 (Korman/Zucker): Zero-Emission Bus Transition Act – This bill would have mandated that all future purchases in the state’s transit bus fleets be for electric vehicles. It passed the House and the Budget and Tax Committee in the Senate, but an abstention in the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee gave it an untimely unfavorable vote.
- HB98/SB168 (Davis/Kelley): Electricity – Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard – Qualifying Biomass: This bill would have removed “black liquor” from the resources receiving subsidies as a clean energy resource as part of Renewable Portfolio Standard. This bill received an unfavorable vote in the Senate Finance Committee.
Transportation: A number of important bills were introduced that would have made considerable progress in our transportation sector by adequately funding existing public transportation systems, and transitioning the entire fleet of state vehicles and buses, as well as private vehicles, to electric. Of these, the bill to adequately fund public transit came the closest to making it through both chambers, passing on a party line vote in the House of Delegates but not receiving a vote in the Senate:
- HB368/SB424 (Lierman/Zucker): Transit Safety and Investment Act: Passed house
Energy: Maryland has made great strides in recent years to transform our energy sector from polluting fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy. The urgency of the climate crisis inspired dozens of bills to address the energy production and use sector. The three bills that made progress before the abrupt end to session promoted architectural changes to state-owned buildings to reduce energy consumption (and protect birds), required the Public Service Commission to consider climate impacts when approving projects, and updating our state emission reductions goals while offering tangible steps to reach those goals. Each of these received votes in one chamber, but failed to advance in the second due to time-restrictions.
- HB192/SB299 (Hill/Guzzone-Lam) – Maryland Sustainable Buildings Act: Passed house
- HB531/SB656 (Charkoudian/Kramer) – Utility Regulation-Consideration of Climate and Labor: Passed senate
- HB1425/SB926 (Stein/Pinsky) – Climate Solutions Act of 2020: Passed both senate committees
Resiliency: While we work to lessen the effects of climate change, our state also must move to protect our communities and environment from the crises that we are facing right now. A suite of bills worked to confront these concerns, including one creating a State Resilience Office at the Emergency Management Service and another that created an ombudsman in the Attorney General’s office to facilitate environmental enforcement and transparency of data.
- HB614/SB460 (Lierman/Elfreth) – Environmental Accountability and Transparency Act: Passed senate
- SB721 (Hester) – Emergency Management – Chief Resilience Officer – Appointment and Duties: Passed senate
Water: While the oyster legislation was a strong victory for Maryland’s waterways, other bills that would have addressed the health of our waters failed to make it over the finish line, despite a strong start. One, that would have created better systems of licensing for septic system inspectors who are on the front line of preventing septic run-off into our waterways, failed to reach the priority level to move to the floor in the last days. The other would have banned plastic bags at check-out throughout the state, which moved to the senate floor on the last day of the abbreviated session and failed to make it through second reader.
- SB254 (Young) – On-site Sewage Disposal Systems – Inspection – Licensing: Passed senate
- HB209/SB313 (Lierman/Augustine) Plastics and Packaging Reduction Act: Passed house
Thanks to your online advocacy (over 6,000 emails to legislators!), calls to your legislators (almost 250 patch-thru calls!), in person lobby visits, and attending rallies in Annapolis we were able to make the progress we did make. The work you do is essential to protecting our air, land, water, and communities.
Advancing strong environmental legislation is essential as we face the global crisis of climate change. As the environmental watchdog in Maryland, we will be keeping a close watch over the special session planned for May and we plan to release a 2020 Environmental Scorecard in the coming months.
Thank you for being a conservation voter,
Kim Coble, Maryland LCV
Executive Director
The full legislative summary is here.
Stay connected with us while practicing social distancing:
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Special Update: Coronavirus, the environment and the legislative session
By Kim Coble, Executive Director
At Maryland LCV we care deeply about our staff, supporters, and fellow humans across the country. That’s why we are putting in place all the precautionary measures we can. For the immediate future, Maryland LCV has suspended all activities that would require people to come together in the same room. All staff are teleworking, all meetings will be via video conference and all events are cancelled.
If nothing else, the COVID-19 outbreak highlights the importance of a government that quickly and efficiently funds and enacts policies that benefit people and our communities. This public health crisis has made me more determined than ever to ensure we have a government and elected officials who are responsive and accountable to each and everyone of us.
As of this writing, the Maryland legislature is adjourning on Wednesday, March 18th. The first time since the Civil War that the legislative session has been cut short. However, our important work to protect Maryland’s air, land, water, and communities is continuing and we are urging the Maryland General Assembly to focus on a few key environmental bills before they close the doors on Wednesday.
And we could use your help! You can take action from the comfort of your home by checking out our Action Alert Center and sending an email to your legislators today. To find out who your state legislator is, please click here.
The environmental priorities that are a top priority and could pass in the next two days include:
- Pass the Sustainable Buildings Act HB 192/SB 299 – find your legislator here
- Ban the dangerous pesticide chlorpyrifos- HB 229
- Ban plastic bags statewide HB 209/SB 313
- Fully fund Maryland Transit- HB 368/SB 424
- Fund electric school buses HB 1451
I hope you are taking measures to stay safe and informed. And when you are not sending emails to your legislator, you can find updates on the Covid-19 outbreak from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Maryland’s health authorities.
Thank you and take care,
Kim Coble, Maryland LCV
Executive Director
Stay connected with us while practicing social distancing:
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Circles within circles
The weekly counter of our Political Director
By Kristen Harbeson, Political Director
There are a lot of analogies to describe Annapolis during the legislative session. One of my favorites is thinking of it as a dance: spinning, and turning, passing hand to hand; dozens of interactions, sometimes brief and sometimes lengthy, that ultimately creates a community. Circles within circles, everyone relentlessly moving through the steps of the dance that does not end until Sine Die, the last day of session.
I was reminded of the nature of the community last week. When an emergency took me away from Session immediately after it began, the legislative work didn’t miss a beat. The Maryland LCV family and our coalition partners all stepped in to make sure that, while I took care of urgent family business, none of the important work we do together suffered: the dance continued.
Coming back on Monday I was able to jump right back into the circle, only slightly disoriented with having missed a few rounds of the routine. The community is also extremely caring: While we all have our roles – legislator, aide, and advocate – we all are people first, and the human connections can be both strong and affirming. It’s one of the many reasons I love this job and this world.
This week’s work was visiting legislative offices with the “blue backs” (in the House) and “white backs” (in the Senate) of our priority bills. These are literally copies of the bills, where legislators can sign their names as cosponsors before the bills are introduced.
Asking for cosponsors helps us to determine the level of support for a particular bill (signing on as a co-sponsor is a strong commitment of support), and an opportunity to answer the questions that legislators and their staffs may have on our bills. Walking into their offices also, sometimes, gives the legislators a chance to say “hey! I wanted to talk to you about this other bill I’m thinking about. Do you have a minute?”
Last week we were walking around two priority bills: the Plastic Bag ban and the ban on Chlorpyrifos – which I will talk more about in the weeks to come. Both of these are just about ready to move to their next step – being “read out” on the floor and assigned to a committee for a hearing date. We’ll be doing the same process next week with other bills, as the steps of the dance become ever more complicated (and interesting!).