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Senate raids Md. land conservation fund

Unless the House of Delegates reverses a Senate decision, Maryland's legislature will undermine the widely popular effort to create new places for outdoor recreation, as well as efforts to protect Maryland's best farmlands and forests. This decision would impact Maryland's residents and visitors alike by taking money set aside for land conservation and using it instead to pay for storm water projects.

The Senate voted to raid all the land conservation programs. They took $26 million of the Program Open Space money, took money that was supposed to be paid back to Program Open Space and the Maryland Agricultural Land Protection Foundation, and completely defunded the Rural Legacy program. These important programs conserve farmlands and working landscapes, support recreation and parks development and acquire natural areas for preservation.

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The legislature has a responsibility to respect public interest. In accordance with the law, we pay a half a percent real estate transfer tax specifically to protect land from future development. We know that increasing recreation areas and parks provides great benefits for Maryland's residents and the state by creating these much-used places for the long haul. The Senate has once again proposed raiding these funds, which is a breach of public trust.

Now the House of Delegates has its chance to protect Maryland's future. We were pleased yesterday when the House Capital Budget Subcommittee restored funding for Program Open Space. When the full House votes next week, they will decide whether to fight to restore the money or continue the raid.

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While there's a real need for better stormwater controls, the legislature shouldn't sacrifice Program Open Space and the agricultural land preservation programs to pay for it. That's not the way to reach a healthy future. We hope the House of Delegates will counter the Senate's proposed budget by approving Gov.Martin O'Malley's request to fully fund our land conservation programs.

Joel Dunn

The writer is executive director of the Chesapeake Conservancy.

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