Gov. Larry Hogan is pushing ahead a plan to have an in depth public/personal tollway venture inbuilt Maryland — the growth of the Capital Beltway (I-495) and I-270. The Maryland Division of Transportation has already solicited bids from builders and is on observe to place ahead a contract earlier than the Board of Public Works earlier than a remaining environmental evaluation is full.
The Supplemental Draft Environmental Affect Assertion, garnered 183 pages of technical and authorized feedback earlier than the interval closed Nov. 30. The assertion is the newest spherical in a flawed Nationwide Environmental Coverage Act course of that fails to judge cheap options, disregards important environmental and human well being impacts, and limits the general public’s capacity to meaningfully touch upon the proposed toll lane growth venture together with altering variations of the SDEIS’s abstract part with out discover fewer than 13 days earlier than the remark deadline.
To quote only one instance, the plan would adversely have an effect on six nationwide park websites and dozens of native parks, 1,500 acres of forest cover, 30 miles of streams and 50 acres of wetlands.
Earlier than I retired, I labored in Oregon for the U.S. Forest Service and it was my sole duty to write down and edit a Nationwide Environmental Coverage Act doc. So, I understand how necessary that is — particularly the general public enter portion.
The next includes highlights from the feedback on the SDEIS:
· The Maryland Division of Transportation did not disclose hidden taxpayer prices, cumulative impacts, and impacts to particular websites of cultural significance.
· The data offered within the SDEIS reveals the Governor’s growth plans will create new and bigger site visitors and security issues at key interchanges and merge areas, and can completely hurt Maryland’s irreplaceable pure, historic, and environmental sources.
· The SDEIS fails to take the required “onerous look” at environmental justice points and ignores the harms that environmental justice communities would undergo throughout development and operation of the growth proposal.
· The SDEIS comprises no dialogue of the human well being and environmental results of the elevated greenhouse and different air emissions, in direct violation of NEPA.
Janet Ok. Schlosser, Odenton
The one approach for the general public to achieve the Governor’s workplace on issues needing the help of his employees is to depart a message. It’s a voicemail system solely wherein Gov. Hogan’s recording states a promise that “one in every of my employees will attain out to you as quickly as attainable.” I left two messages in March, with no response from employees. I feel this lack of courtesy/consideration to the voting/taxpaying public is worthy of Capital Gazette scrutiny and reporting.
The problem our neighborhood wants the governor’s (employees) help with is the nonresponsive and dysfunctional SHA Buyer Care Administration System that has ignored over an extended time period dozens of roadside particles and litter cleanup requests alongside SHA roads in our space. Images of trashy, filthy state roadways in northern Anne Arundel County would communicate volumes, if I used to be capable of take and ship them.
Makes an attempt to get outcomes since January have failed. We’d like the burden of the Governor’s workplace to attempt to get outcomes. But, the governor’s nonresponse is that we don’t matter. The Baltimore Solar printed a letter to the editor on this difficulty, but it surely yielded nothing. I feel these points are worthy of reporting. I’m prepared to share particulars.
Laura Graham, Linthicum
In only a few quick months we’ll mark the anniversary of the Truxtun Park redo. I frequent Truxtun and it’s apparent that there’s a sturdy use of this renovated facility.
Given the elevated utilization of the courts, there may be additionally an elevated demand for toilet services. At present there may be one port-a-potty that’s typically in want of cleansing/disinfecting and is sort of frankly disgusting. With the recent summer time months rapidly approaching the cIty of Annapolis ought to organize for extra services which can be cleaned out three to four instances every week to satisfy the demand.
Pleasure Goldberg, Annapolis
It has been virtually a month because the cargo ship Ever Ahead was caught within the Chesapeake Bay. Since then, there have been efforts to dredge the ship with a predicted removing date is estimated to be in mid-April. Whereas the ship just isn’t within the channel and subsequently doesn’t block different vessels, it might trigger a number of environmental issues.
I’m a resident of southern Anne Arundel County, the place many neighborhoods (reminiscent of Fairview, Deale, Selby-by-the-Bay, Cape St Claire, and so on.) reside on the waters of the Chesapeake’s many rivers. If the oil from the ship leaks, or the cargo falls, it might presumably pollute the close by our bodies of water. This can be a viable risk to the watermen neighborhood, the place the bay’s ecosystem is trusted for revenue.
Now anybody would know that Maryland’s pleasure is their wonderful blue crab, consumed together with oyster and rockfish. It’s due to this that I implore you, Ever Ahead, to tread gently in your removing from our waters. To the expensive readers, I ask to take the Chesapeake with nice care. Purchase native, go away aquatic areas higher than you discovered them, and observe environmental tips.
Kyrie Plaster, Tracys Touchdown
The so-called “bridge examine” is a rip off of Maryland tax payers cash. The underside line to begin as quickly as attainable on a a number of bay bridge answer up and down the Chesapeake Bay with politics be damned. In any other case, in 2030 we’ll proceed to be caught in site visitors going east or west over the bridge.
Harold Eugene Jarboe, Severna Park
Tax Day, the IRS submitting deadline, is at all times greeted with trepidation by taxpayers. However it’s particularly horrifying this yr. We’re not in affluent instances; Anne Arundel’s lockdowns have broken the financial well-being of staff and enterprise house owners, and record-high inflation is tearing into household budgets.
Sadly our native leaders don’t appear to really feel our ache. County Government Steuart Pittman has previously launched a finances that will increase spending and raised property taxes. In line with an article on this paper, Pittman’s first finances “raised the revenue tax from 2.5% to 2.81% and property tax charges from 90.2 cents per $100 assessed worth to 93.5 cents.” Pittman has additionally lobbied the state legislature to cross a invoice enabling native governments to tax at charges above the present state restrict of three.2%.
As we taxpayers write checks to the IRS and the Maryland comptroller, it will ease our nervousness if elected leaders would again off on tax will increase and allow us to maintain extra of our hard-earned cash.
Steve Slattery, Shady Facet
As Individuals file their taxes, it’s necessary to recollect how necessary the expanded Little one Tax Credit score has been for youngsters and households.
In line with a brand new examine from the Brookings Establishment, the 2021 adjustments to the tax credit score, together with sending it as a month-to-month cost, had a profound influence. Little one poverty dropped by 40 p.c. CTC recipients lived more healthy lives, invested extra of their youngsters’s schooling, and had been much less more likely to depend on payday loans. Households spent their CTC funds on hire, meals, and garments for his or her children — the identical prices going up for us all now.
However some lawmakers stopped an extension of the CTC funds. Because of this, three.7 million youngsters fell beneath the poverty line in January. And 1.four million CTC households have left their jobs as a result of they’ll not afford youngster care.
Economists say extending the CTC is vital to assist households dealing with rising prices from inflation. How rather more proof do lawmakers want earlier than they do the best factor?
I name on our members of Congress to increase the CTC with everlasting full refundability and resume the month-to-month funds instantly.
Kathy Bartolomeo, Greenbelt
As our world faces its best threats of contemporary instances within the types of warfare and illness, it’s extra necessary now than ever that essentially the most weak populations globally obtain desperately wanted help. As evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, world emergencies hit low-income and impoverished communities hardest. Excessive poverty is a surprisingly widespread downside that forestalls the worldwide neighborhood from responding resiliently to such crises.
Thus, every of us ought to do our half to persuade our representatives within the Home and Senate that worldwide support must be a precedence on this more and more interconnected world. As a College of Maryland scholar I’ve been calling, emailing, and writing to Rep. Steny Hoyer, and Sens Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen Jr. asking for his or her help on key items of laws.
One instance is the MINDS Act, a invoice in Congress that would offer essential investments in psychological well being applications worldwide, particularly centered on the welfare of youngsters.
I urge others in our neighborhood to do the identical; contacting your representatives is fast, simple, and might have a large constructive influence on the lives of so many. So most of the folks that represent the varied communities of the state of Maryland are immigrants from or have ties to the very nations that so desperately want our help at this second. By way of our collective voices, we are able to affect change.
Shawn Edelstein, Faculty Park
I’m writing to honor civil servants for the invaluable, oftentimes unnoticed, companies they supply to the general public every day.
Civil servants are the heartbeat of each neighborhood and their work is felt on the native, state, and federal ranges in varied methods. They’re scientists growing lifesaving vaccines and medicines, Homeland Safety officers defending our borders, postal staff guaranteeing well timed supply of vital items to households and companies, and first responders preventing crime and placing out fires.
Navy officers shield our freedom and democracy. Sadly, many have sacrificed their lives defending ours. These are a handful of the numerous professions inside the civil service many Individuals dedicate careers.
Individuals ought to specific our thanks for these hardworking public servants, who show America’s resilience, particularly within the face of a world risk just like the COVID-19 pandemic. They make on a regular basis extraordinary attainable.
Marsha Padilla-Goad, Alexandria, VA