Maryland Pulls the Football on Chesapeake Bay Restoration Funding

Restoration Funding Drop Worries Official

One Worcester County Commissioner called out an area newspaper in a public meeting this on what he deems a misleading article on the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund.

Commissioner Virgil Shockley referenced an editorial in The Daily Times during a commission meeting Tuesday. The editorial praised the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) for the $355,000 granted to Wicomico County this year for restoration projects. The money will be used to replace failing septic systems in areas that have a critical impact on the Chesapeake Bay.

While Shockley acknowledged the goal of the program is a good one, he criticized the positive spin on what he considers a negative trend.

“Three years ago, there was five times more money [in the Restoration Fund],” said Shockley. “It [the editorial] completely leaves blank that they’ve cut funding by 80 percent.”

Really, they cut down the funding even though they've been collecting the essentially the same, or more money from the flush tax?  That doesn't seem right.  But, then I found the annual reports of the Chesapeake Bay REstoration Fund here, and after figuring out how to read them, I found in the 2011 report:

Septic Fund (MDE 60% for On-Site Disposal System upgrades except 22.4% in FY 2010)

 Meaning they cut the spending back from 60% of the fund previously to 22.4% in 2010, the remainder having been "loaned" to the general fund, which in turn, spent them on cover crops:

For FY 2010 only, the allocation was changed to 22.4% MDE and 77.6% MDA as part of the State Budget approval during the 2010 legislative session. The purpose of this temporary change was to transfer excess funds from the MDE septic system fund into the MDA cover crop fund.

And yes, they are looking to increase the flush tax fees so they have more to spend.

In the most recent Bay Restoration Fund Advisory Committee (BRFAC) annual report (January 2010),the committee identified five options to eliminate the funding shortfall. The financial impact of these options is summarized below:

a. Increase the Bay fee, which is currently $2.50 per month per Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU), or $30/yr per EDU. This option requires legislative approval.

Less for more...