Republican senators advocate for preservation of sewer, septic and wastewater projects | Community

ANNAPOLIS – Members of the Republican Senate Caucus proposed and discussed amendments to Senate Law 414 – the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2021 – to address significant concerns about this comprehensive piece of legislation.

While the caucus fully shares the goals of a cleaner environment and greenhouse gas reduction, the debate centered on diverting $ 15 million from the Bay Restoration Fund to a new and duplicate program to plant 5 million trees across the state finance.

The fund was established in 2004 by the Flush Tax to finance upgrades to sewage treatment plants and plants and cover crops to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus entering Chesapeake Bay. The flush tax was doubled in 2012 for areas of the state whose sewage affects the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

This $ 15 million raid puts critical sewage and sanitation projects in communities across the state at risk, the caucus said. Many of these projects are in smaller towns and cities with failing systems where sewer overflows and other issues are detrimental to the bay’s health. By diverting these funds, these projects will be added even further to the priority list and will further delay improvements to critical infrastructure to improve water quality in the bay and its tributaries, a press release said.

The chairman of the Senate Education, Health, and Environment Committee and the sponsor of the law recognized the validity of these concerns by proposing an amendment to delay the BRF raid for a year to allow a number of projects to move forward.

However, this measure did not go far enough as it is not known how many future projects would be affected.

Republican Senators offered several amendments to protect BRF funds and preserve critical current and future projects. Only two amendments have been discussed and the debate will continue tomorrow.

Senator Jason Gallion (Harford & Cecil) proposed a change to delay the BRF’s funding robbery into FY23 and reduce the amount of funds withdrawn from the BRF so that current projects are not delayed. This amendment was rejected by 30-17 votes, but received bipartisan support.

Senator Michael Hough (Frederick & Carroll) proposed a change to keep the tree program funded through the General Fund rather than the BRF in order to maintain funding for these projects. This amendment was also rejected between 30 and 17, although it was supported by both parties.

“I’m in favor of an improved environment, I’m getting sea levels up and I’m getting coastline erosion,” Senator Addie Eckardt (Dorchester, Talbot, Caroline and Wicomico) told cities with failing sewers and sewage treatment plans and even cesspools that are upgrading can not afford it yourself? “

“While the chairman’s amendment saved the current projects on the immediate chopping block, we need to reflect on projects in the years to come,” said Senator Jason Gallion (Harford & Cecil) moving critical projects forward in our smaller and underserved communities. “

“In 2004, those of us in the rural parts of the state voted for the flush tax because we were told that when the major projects were completed, the smaller sewage and sewage projects would be completed,” said Senator George Edwards (Garrett, Allegany & Washington) . “But now that the big projects are done, you’re going to raid the BRF and push the small projects in favor of planting trees. I’m all for trees, but there are other ways of doing this that are fair and don’t make this a competition between the rural and the metro parts of our state. “

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