With Maryland lawmakers facing a million dollar plus structural deficit funding for environmental concerns in the Chesapeake Bay region found itself on the defensive. Delmarva Public Media's Don Rush talks with Alan Girard, director of advocacy for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, on the outcome of the state budget.
RUSH: Maryland Governor Wes Moore has signed a $71 billion dollar budget despite a challenging $1.5 billion dollar structural deficit. This is Don Rush. So how did the region's environmental concerns do? The Chesapeake Bay Foundation applauded the new spending plan, although given the economic headwinds, it was more of a time for defense. [Here is] Alan Girard, Director of Advocacy for the foundation.
GIRARD: Very interesting year in the General Assembly. It's an election year, and so a lot of the legislators in an election year typically aren't willing to be moving any strong and influential policy on the environment or other things. The budget has been a struggle for Maryland in the last couple of years. Projections are [that] next year actually may even be worse. So environmental communities are really looking to just retain the resources that are already in play. The Chesapeake Bay restoration effort has been underway for a number of years. We have seen progress in average dissolved oxygen levels going in the right direction in the Bay, and that's because businesses, citizens and government have been partnering on making a difference and government plays a critical role. So this year was really about defense in the General Assembly, keeping the resources that help with Chesapeake Bay water quality in place so we can continue the progress that's being made.
RUSH: So would you say that then you've been successful in protecting those programs?
GIRARD: We've managed to get through essentially level funding with each one of them. Now, there's the program Open Space, that's the Land Conservation Funding... folks that own agricultural, natural resource or habitat lands that permanently protect those lands from development can apply to the state to receive resources to essentially buy the development rights off those properties. Now, last year, the state legislator made a difficult decision and the governor signed this into law to cut those programs by about 25% for each of four years. So we're in year two. That commitment made last year was retained this year, and we expect those cuts, that 25% reduction to happen next year and the year following. So a loss there for land protection, land conservation community really stood up and made sure that we didn't continue to backslide on those programs this year. There was a push to make a commitment to repay those funds that had been taken, that was unsuccessful, but I think the message is clear, don't roll back on environmental funding. And I think that was a win for this year's General Assembly.
RUSH: The Bay Foundation also points to something like about $400 million, I guess that goes towards programs to deal with climate change or the impact on climate. How did you do there? Did you hold steady?
GIRARD: So [there is] a lot of debate about what's called the Strategic Energy Investment Fund. This is resources that come from the private sector that are expected to go back and sort of fill gaps and harm caused by energy facilities and their impacts on climate change, et cetera. A lot of debate on how to resolve on that. There were some resources that were retained in that fund. Some of those resources are now eligible to fund heat pumps, which are a lower polluting type of energy source for homes. So I'm not sure if I would call it a win, but I think a successful negotiation, negotiated settlement, if you will, on where we ended with the energy funding.
RUSH: Alan Girard, Director of Advocacy for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the new Maryland State Budget. This is Don Rush for Delmarva Public Media.
