Gov. Parris N. Glendening dispensed more than $22 million to preserve land yesterday, rewarding counties that have embraced his vision for Smart Growth and punishing those he feels have not.
Glendening distributed $22.8 million among 12 local governments - including Baltimore, Harford and Anne Arundel counties - to protect 9,400 acres of farmland, forest and wetlands from development.
But Glendening continued his long-running feud with Carroll County's elected officials by deciding not to give the rapidly growing jurisdiction one of the Rural Legacy grants.
The decision angered some Carroll officials who accused the governor of punishing the county because Republicans dominate it.
"We have a person at the top making decisions about something he doesn't understand," said County Commissioner Donald I. Dell, a retired farmer. "He doesn't recognize the facts and worse, he doesn't care."
The governor also took $1.5 million away from Howard County after the county failed to spend it.
"We are dealing with limited resources," said Michelle Byrnie, a Glendening spokeswoman. "Counties that are addressing land issues and putting Smart Growth to work and spending the money already given to them will be the priorities."
Glendening has made the Rural Legacy Program, founded in 1998, one of his top environmental initiatives. He fought hard this year to prevent the General Assembly from cutting the program to balance the budget.
The program has awarded about $140 million in grants, enough to protect 51,800 acres.
The governor gave Baltimore County, which has a strong record of land preservation, $3 million yesterday, $2 million of which will be used to expand the Piney Run Legacy Area. The other $1 million will go for land that straddles Harford County.
"Rural Legacy has been a wonderful tool for us in our land preservation," said Elise Armacost, a spokeswoman for Baltimore County Executive C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, noting the program has helped the county preserve 6,800 acres.
Harford County received $1 million to preserve land in the Lower Deer Creek area.
The governor gave Anne Arundel $1 million this year after refusing to give any last year. Glendening said then that the county wasn't spending money given to it.
He said that Anne Arundel is "being rewarded" for "significantly improved" performance.
Howard County received no additional funds, and the governor also took $1.5 million from the county and gave it to Montgomery County because Howard hadn't spent it.
Jeff Everett, land preservation administrator in Howard, said the county had planned to use the money to buy rights to a 114-acre farm near Glenwood. He said the deal fell through when the owner wanted more than the state would allow.
Carroll County applied for $5.5 million to buy land near Little Pipe Creek in North Carroll and the Upper Patapsco in South Carroll.
Byrnie said Glendening decided not to fund those requests because officials are not doing enough to stop suburban sprawl. Glendening has frequently criticized Carroll officials about zoning decisions.
Commissioner Robin Bartlett Frazier said that the governor could not bully the county.
"Sometimes, we're going to get punished, but ... I don't think our citizens want us to sell out control of local land-use issues for $1 million," she said.
Sun staff writers Childs Walker, Lynn Anderson and Larry Carson contributed to this article.