House approves stormwater legislation

in effort to put compromise into law

Click here to read a heavily-amended bill as it passed the House of Delegates:

http://mlis.state.md.us/2010rs/bills/hb/hb1125t.pdf

Concerned that a compromise over new stormwater regulations is in jeopardy, the House of Delegates has passed a heavilyi-amended bill to impose the compromise through legislation. (House Bill 1125, the “Holmes Bill.”)

The compromise — reached a month ago through difficult negotiations among environmentalists, lawmakers, builders and county officials — is currently locked in a joint General Assembly committee, and the committee chairman is threatening to block the compromise because he believes environmentalists gave up too much.

Under the stormwater regulations that are currently set to go into effect in May, builders have been concerned that projects that are underway — but do not yet have final permits — could be forced to go back to comply with new, stricter regulations, potentially costing millions of dollars. Many county officials have also been critical of the stricter regulations, warning that the rules could undermine their Smart Growth redevelopment efforts by making it prohibitively expensive to launch projects in older existing neighborhoods.

The compromise extends deadlines for complying with the new stormwater regulations and outlines alternatives for builders. Some environmental groups, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, have supported the compromise, but others have opposed it.

The ultimate goal of the stormwater regulations is to help the state reach a federally-mandated deadline of 2020 for cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. The stormwater regulations would significantly curtail the amount of nitrogen pouring into the Bay, according to state environmental officials.

The House bill now goes to the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to consider it sometime within the final two weeks of the legislative session.

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT HISTORY

SSA HISTORY

STATUTE AND REGULATION

MDE Begins Process for New Stormwater Regulation

Stormwater Act Regulation Schedule

Chapter 5 1st Draft

MDSPE Response to Chapter 5 1st Draft

* Appendix A

* Appendix B

* Appendix C

* Appendix D