ROCKVILLE, MD  (February 28, 2015) — With Maryland policy makers considering a repeal of the state’s controversial “rain tax,” the Maryland Public Policy Institute today issued a new report proposing alternatives solutions to restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Governor Larry Hogan and Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr., have both introduced legislation to repeal the rain tax, an unpopular state law that forces 10 local jurisdictions in Maryland to impose a fee on the owners of impervious surfaces. The Institute’s new report can viewed at https://www.mdpolicy.org/research/detail/revisiting-the-rain-tax

“The rain tax is highly unpopular and an unfair mandate on local governments,” said Christopher B. Summers, president of the Institute.  “It is time Maryland took a fresh approach to restoring the Chesapeake Bay by demanding a better return on investment from existing state environmental programs and letting local governments decide how best to mitigate storm water runoff.  Maryland has spent $15 billion on Bay cleanup programs over the last three decades, yet received a D+ for its efforts from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. A change in approach is long overdue.”

• Stop Raiding Chesapeake Bay Trust Funds:  Lawmakers have raided $290 million from the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund since 2007, crippling the state’s ability to stop wastewater pollution from entering the Bay.  Lawmakers raided another $40 million from the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bay Trust Fund, harming efforts to restore water quality in the Bay and its tributaries. Thus, the state could significantly strengthen Bay restoration efforts simply by ending the practice of raiding Bay trust funds.

• Dredge the Conowingo Dam: A 2014 study by the Institute estimates that removing all 172 million tons of sediment pollution behind the Conowingo Dam would dramatically improve the Bay’s health at a fraction of the cost of other Bay cleanup efforts.  The dredging effort would cost an estimated $4.2 billion – significantly less than the $14.4 billion the State of Maryland plans to spend on other Bay cleanup efforts.

About the Maryland Public Policy Institute: Founded in 2001, the Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The Institute’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society.  Learn more at www.mdpolicy.org.

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