We won! (for now)

It took me a little extra time to get all the facts straight, but the proposed 2010 NDZ legislation for Maryland is officially dead.  The confusion was from the Senate, where the committee passed the bill with amendments.  It was quite decent what they had done (read it here - PDF format).  They changed the bill into a "study" bill, with DNR taking the lead and having a due date of 12/1/11.  That would have ensured no other NDZ legislation until at least the 2012 legislative session.  However, that bill died in the House, and thus, nothing on this topic passed.  What does this mean?  For right now, it's over.  But I would venture to guess that if Doug Gansler is re-elected as AG come November, he'll bring it up again for the 2011 session.  And if he does, I'll be there to fight it.

Update: SB 513 was voted on in Education Health and Environmental Affairs, this afternoon.

"SB 513 was amended and turned into a “study bill.” The bill now says that the Department of Natural Resources shall study and make recommendations for initiating a no-discharge zone in all Maryland waters. The final report will be due to the Governor and General Assembly on or before December 1, 2011. Maryland waters will most likely not be deemed a no-discharge zone until the study is completed.

SB 513 will most likely be on the floor of the Senate tomorrow for approval by the entire Senate body. As we are only four working days from the end of the legislative session, I am unsure if the amended version of this bill will have time to get through the Senate and the House as is required for a bill to become a law."
 
I'm going to hope the lack of days remaining helps defeat this still horrible legislation.  Considering that DNR reports to the AG's office, I'm not real confident this will be a fair and scientific study.

CALL TO ACTION - SB513 scheduled for a vote this week!

The Senate Bill still survives.  If you're against this bill (SB513), then please take a few moments to call the Senators on the committee who will be voting on it this week.  Here's a list (it's much shorter than the House).  If you don't have time for all, please at least contact the first two.  PLEASE BE NICE!  Senator Conway has been known to swing her vote against mobs of callers who aren't nice.

*Joan Carter-Conway - 3145# - Joan.Carter.Conway@senate.state.md.us


Roy P. Dyson - 3673# - Roy.Dyson@senate.state.md.us

Richard F. Colburn - 3590# - Richard.Colburn@senate.state.md.us
*David C. Harrington - 3745# - David.Harrington@senate.state.md.us
Andrew P. Harris - 3706# - Andrew.Harris@senate.state.md.us
*Mike Lenett - 3151# - Mike.Lenett@senate.state.md.us
*Paul G Pinsky 3155# - Paul.Pinsky@senate.state.md.us
Edward R. Reilly - 3568# - Edward.Reilly@senate.state.md.us
James C. Rosapepe - 3141# - Jim.Rosapepe@senate.state.md.us


(To contact by telephone, enter the extensions above after 1-800-492-7122, followed by the # sign)

Call to Action - Contact House Environmental Matters Committee TODAY!

We have word that work is still needed to kill this bill in the House Environmental Matters Committee.  Please take a few moments to call (not e-mail) the committee members to request that they oppose this bill (HB1257 - No Discharge for MD Waters).  Feel free to have a few of the articles linked at the top of this blog open so you have plenty of talking points.

House Environmental Matters Committee


The Honorable Maggie McIntosh
Chair, House Environmental Matters Committee
Phone: 410-841-3990

The Honorable James E. Malone, Jr.
Vice-Chair, House Environmental Matters Committee
Phone: 410-841-3378

The Honorable S. Saqib Ali
Phone: 410-841-3021

The Honorable Pamela G. Beidle
Phone: 410-841-3370

The Honorable Elizabeth Bobo
Phone: 410-841-3205

The Honorable Rudolph C. Cane
Phone: 410-841-3427

The Honorable Alfred Clinton Carr, Jr.
Phone: 410-841-3110

The Honorable Virginia P. Clagett
Phone: 410-841-3211

The Honorable Barbara A. Frush
Phone: 410-841-3114

The Honorable Cheryl D. Glenn
Phone: 410-841-3257

The Honorable Anne Healey
Phone: 410-841-3961

The Honorable Marvin E. Holmes, Jr.
Phone: 410-841-3310

The Honorable Thomas Hucker
Phone: 410-841-3474

The Honorable Stephen W. Lafferty
Phone: 410-841-3487

The Honorable Doyle L. Niemann
Phone: 410-841-3326

The Honorable H. Wayne Norman, Jr.
Phone: 410-841-3284

The Honorable Anthony J. O’Donnell
Phone: 410-841-3314

The Honorable Andrew A. Serafini
Phone: 410-841-3447

The Honorable Tanya Thornton Shewell
Phone: 410-841-3070

The Honorable Richard A. Sossi
Phone: 410-841-3543

The Honorable Dana M. Stein
Phone: 410-841-3527

The Honorable Paul S. Stull
Phone: 410-841-3288

The Honorable Michael H. Weir, Jr.
Phone: 410-841-3328

The hearings are over. Now we wait.

Both hearings are over, thank God. What a way to waste about 8 hours of my life. I'd like to thank everyone who joined me in my efforts against this. There was some great testimony (not including the lies from the Attorney General and his staff).  Word from the Senate doesn't look good for the passage of their version of the bill. And my contact on the House committee said that not only will they have plenty to discuss in sub-committee in the next few weeks, but if the Senate shelves it, so will they.


Cross your fingers. If you haven't done so already, keep the e-mails and phone calls coming. This isn't over yet.

If the AG's figures are to be believed, boaters on the Chesapeake with Type I devices contribute .003% of the nutrient load to the Chesapeake Bay.  A quote directly from the AG (Gansler):  "This bill is our top priority".  Really?  Couldn't you be doing something a little more productive with your time?  I guess not considering you couldn't do anything about the 30 million gallons Baltimore County dumped into the Patapsco River just last weekend.  This lame bill is a pathetic attempt by Gansler and Fitzsimmons to attack an innocent group of people because they lack the ability to go after the real problems.  As Representative O'Donnell stated:  Government has a hard time shining the spotlight on itself.

(note: I am paraphrasing Gansler's words as I didn't write them down when he said them.  But that's the general statement he made.)

A big week coming.

It's going to be a big week.  The Senate hearing for SB513 will be this coming Tuesday, 3/16/10, at 1pm.  The House hearing for HB1257 is Friday, 3/19/10 at 1pm.  If you can make either date, please do.  Please be polite when testifying and keep your comments as brief as possible.  If someone ahead of you says what you're going to say, please don't repeat.  Just say "I second so-and-so's comments".

For your reading pleasure, here's an article from Raritan Engineering from May of 2000:
The law of unintended consequences

And a great new article from Tom Neale, which has some very interesting facts:
Maryland Moves to Increase Pollution in Chesapeake

HB1257 Hearing on 3/19/10 at 1pm

The hearing for HB1257 will be held on March 19, 2010 at 1pm.

For anyone interested in speaking, I will have more information about doing such in the coming days.