Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Environmental Standing Compromise May be Near
House Environmental Matters Committee Chair Maggie McIntosh has been working with representatives from local government, the business community and the environmental community in an attempt to reach a compromise over the environmental standing legislation (SB 824/ HB1053).
She released details of a potential compromise yesterday. Key points include:
- The adoption federal standing for judicial review of a list of permit challenges;
- The elimination of contested cases and administrative appeals (meaning permits are immediately effective on issuance unless a stay is issued);
- No citizen suits, and no intervention in enforcement actions;
- Judicial review of variances issues by the critical area commission; and
- Provision for a 60 day extension of the permit comment period upon request.
This week’s hearing on SB 824 has been rescheduled for March 31. The Maryland Chamber will hold a meeting of interested parties to discuss the proposed compromise at the Maryland Chamber office, 60 West St., Suite 100, Annapolis, MD 21401, on Friday, March 20 at 11 a.m. For more information about this legislation contact Vice President of Government Affairs Allyson Black at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
