The General Assembly is approaching its halfway point for 2025, the time at which bills crossover between the House and the Senate. Only those bills that pass each house cross to the other. Bills that do not cross are done for the session. Two bills of importance for the Corsica and larger Eastern Shore watersheds focus on controlling pollutants–the Nearshore Farming and Finance Act and the Maryland PFAS and Sewage Sludge Bill. Among other things, the Nearshore Act constrains the use of fertilizer in areas close to tidal waters and allows tenant farmers to apply for support programs that have, until now, been available only to landowners. The PFAS bill will support testing requirements for biosolids and establish health-based standards for its concentrations. Efforts to constrain PFAS-concentrated biosolids are already moving in many other jurisdictions.
ShoreRivers has been actively advocating for both pieces of legislation and has established petitions for residents to express their support. They can be found at the following links
Here are links to more information and petitions in support of the Nearshore Farming & Finance Act and the Maryland PFAS & Sewage Sludge Bill.
Also of concern is funding for land preservation programs which would drastically curtail Maryland’s goal of protecting 40 percent of Maryland’s farmland by 2040. Although the Governor’s budget kept the funding in place, the Department of Legislative Services recommended transferring the money into the general fund for each of the next four years, beginning in 2026. Maryland’s Program Open Space, Agricultural Land Preservation Program and Rural Legacy Program are funded by a 0.5 percent tax on real estate transfers. The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy has put more information together and a sign on letter that can be found here https://www.eslc.org
Conserving our natural resources is not just an amorphous quality of life issue, it makes strong economic sense. It’s always cheaper to preserve than it is to restore.