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The legislative session started January 9th, and the clock is ticking - we only have a 90 day session to pass some major environmental bills.  In this email you can learn what the environmental community's priorities are this session and learn about the funnest day ever - Environmental Action Day.  Environmental Action Day is your chance to come to Annapolis and raise your voice on issues that impact the Patuxent.  We hope you will join us on February 18th to show your legislators that the environment matters to you!

See you then,
Jennifer Bevan-Dangel

Environmental Action Day

Environmental Action Day will be held on President's Day, February 18th, starting around noon. The event will include a briefing on the hot environmental issues, information from state officials, and an opportunity to meet your legislators and have your voice heard.

We need you to make this event a success. Come, learn, and show your support! If you can make it, please rsvp to Jennifer at Jennifer@PaxRiverkeeper.org.  We will be sending more information out closer to the event, but mark your calendar today!

Wanna Do Even More? Be a Captain!

To make Environmental Action Day a success, we will need volunteers to help plan and coordinate the event.  These volunteers will be our District Captains for the evening, and will serve a variety of important roles.  We need your help to: set meetings with legislators, recruit others to attend, and help facilitate your group that evening.

If you are interested, contact Jennifer by January 25th at Jennifer@PaxRiverkeeper.org.
 

What's on the Agenda?

The environmental community has four top priority issues this year.  They include:

Global Warming Solutions Now
Global warming is the greatest environmental challenge of our time. Sea levels are on the rise, weather patterns are increasingly irregular, and storms are becoming more powerful. Leading scientists, such as James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, caution that we are nearing a climate "tipping point," beyond which large-scale, dangerous impacts would become unavoidable. The Global Warming Solutions Act sets us on the course to keep emissions of the pollutants that cause global warming below this threshold and protect future generations from catastrophic changes to the climate.

Critical Areas Reform
The Chesapeake and Coastal Bays and their tributaries have a serious problem with a simple solution. Weak and uneven enforcement of an outdated law, the Critical Area Act, is leading to the steady destruction of the critical natural buffers all along the shoreline. The simple solution is to limit development in the buffers by strengthening the law and closing long standing loopholes, to provide for greater vigilance and more robust enforcement of the law. Enhanced protection of these critical natural filters will result in reduced sediment and contaminated runoff, cleaner water, improved habitat for oysters, crabs, and fish, and water in which we can once again swim.

Energy Efficiency for Maryland
Demand for electricity has increased dramatically in Maryland over the past several years. This uncontrolled growth in energy consumption threatens the reliability and availability of energy supplies for Maryland  Legislation before the Maryland General Assembly would require Maryland to reduce its per capita energy use 15 percent by 2015. Electric utilities would be responsible for all reductions not accomplished by the public fund. homes and businesses, drives up electric rates, and threatens the environment.

Dedicated Fund for the Bay: Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund
During the Special Legislative Session of 2007, Maryland created a dedicated funding source - the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund - to clean up Maryland's waters and the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund replaced previous proposals for a "Green Fund" and relies on existing tax revenues. The legislature authorized $50 million annually for clean water programs but did not detail how the monies were to be allocated.  While $50 million is significant, there must be appropriate oversight and the funds must be targeted and leveraged in order to achieve the greatest nutrient reductions and water quality improvements.

Stay tuned for updates as session continues.To read more about all four issues now, go to www.mdlcv.org//issueslegislation/

Patuxent Riverkeeper
Jennifer Bevan-Dangel
Executive Director
Jennifer@PaxRiverkeeper.org
301-249-9200, x9
   
The environmental movement is only as strong as its members.  Thank you for giving us strength in Annapolis!