[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6663580,"mediaKeyId","2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52","parentId",2390004,"title","Senate panel hears bill to allow third-party permitting for Dorchester County septic and well reviews","audioSeconds",459,"startMs",103000,"endMs",562000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52&start=103&end=562","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52/thumbnail_103000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6663580/Maryland/Senate-panel-hears-bill-to-allow-third-party-permitting-for-Dorchester-County-septic-and-well-reviews","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6663580-2018cb89833bcedb56b97035968c4a32/orig.mp4?Expires=1773476837&Signature=gWeXe58Zs5-fN7K0LiZ9Px3EcP8pY-ck1TdUIfk8qZjcHGK-qNvexxLImmkdkGnmfRlnm6ate6kiYOXKImOVebBTazPZ6CSo~dKQdj4MqaTWxyvvLEBbF4YEiVqSxYk53HldSrzm~GI8syUGYBUPZqD7FKJ87DIdd6KhUQYU~qhGPc3M7H8dqJDSRiLLUhODtLq3EXd5Ix0aRFdPebEIQdMv7ZF4a9edNZXygRCBRXXscO8jJJQ39dhpge1Ej5o5wYwNc2l91kze2R2skgfUJtifH97cQCabz9n9c3lcyZBqcWSTm0LGmOzwRM-6bbxoplXXBuMw8TFah-e03kQNNA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Maryland General Assembly - Education, Energy and Environment","date","2025-02-25T22:51:10.967Z","article","Senators heard testimony on Senate Bill 9-64, a Dorchester County pilot that would authorize the Maryland Department of the Environment to set rules allowing qualified third-party providers to perform reviews and permitting for well and on-site sewage disposal systems.

Proponents said the measure targets long delays in county environmental health offices that can stall development and housing. \"This is a very straightforward proposal,\" Senator Malz said, adding that the proposal \"authorizes the Department of Environment to promulgate regulations, to delegate, the authority that's already delegated to counties for well and on-site sewage disposal systems.\" Jeanne Adewey Riccio, former Secretary of Natural Resources, told the committee the pilot would add capacity \"with checks and balances\" and could speed up approvals that, she said, help get clean water and attainable housing into service more quickly. Dorchester County Councilmember Lenny Pfeffer said businesses and contractors are avoiding the county because of permit delays.

County health officials urged caution. Heather Moritz, director of environmental health for St. Mary’s County and a member of the Maryland Conference of Environmental Health Directors, testified unfavorably. \"It's not something that you can learn just by taking a class,\" Moritz said, arguing that experience in the field matters and private providers holding required licenses may still lack the practical expertise needed to avoid future system failures. Moritz also raised oversight and potential conflict-of-interest concerns, noting limited capacity even for oversight of county programs.

The bill does not change existing MDE authority to oversee or revoke delegated work; sponsors described it as a targeted, cost-effective option to relieve backlogs. No formal vote or committee action was recorded at the hearing; the sponsor urged further study and a favorable report.

Next steps: The committee will consider conceptual technical amendments raised during testimony and in follow-up with MDE and county partners.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","EEE Committee Session, 2/25/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","Senators heard testimony on Senate Bill 9-64, a Dorchester County pilot that would authorize the Maryland Department of the Environment to set rules allowing qualified third-party providers to perform reviews and permitting for well and on-site sewage disposal systems.","taxTitle","Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, SENATE, SENATE, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",15092,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6663568,"Senate hearing draws wide support for CHERISH Act to factor cumulative impacts into permitting",3720,9821000,13541000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52&start=9821&end=13541","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52/thumbnail_9821000.jpg","/articles/6663568/Maryland/Senate-hearing-draws-wide-support-for-CHERISH-Act-to-factor-cumulative-impacts-into-permitting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6663568-94607108736b9e134cf13dc5522c607c/orig.mp4?Expires=1773476837&Signature=TynvtMAvxVU2-~3D~vSGfP3Y-5thiAK4ACQCZIRsOVLpsUBAX9np2K6QjFNDBZwAeLUc6CG3CRmZGkeBzVlgL3xDbestObuiDSAn094LHLfAEBScA6QtwBxmLbdwUI8uwoRlStTKONEwU~N5EFxq2kX~va8w7d4QDhr7wPZLHxK5Wz0Llu9V09rukX243saUDVc3r6JStGUztx1xMADcN8Rq-Uz6D2483wvblHC62gw47eIBUqm9CMatIzbsKA3aCmEQceRR0tRYBwHsYm0HyCMxbXy5y6VhjVBHSUJQorqZl3BBbSlMCh~b~Y2ZyTpRkoOIlyd5F9dmjfAMCfxVEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 9-78, the CHERISH Act, would instruct the Maryland Department of the Environment to require an \"existing burden\" analysis for higher-impact permit applications located near communities with the highest environmental-justice (EJ) screening scores. The goal: ensure permit decisions consider cumulative pollution impacts and require mitigation, community benefits or denial when a new source would add unacceptable harm.

Sponsor Senator Clarence Lam described the bill as a framework to incorporate cumulative impacts into permitting: \"This bill requires that applicants for a variety of permits also submit environmental impact analysis that takes into account the environmental conditions of the site, the environmental and health impacts of the project, alternatives, mitigation measures, and an existing burden report,\" he told the committee.

Supporters — including grassroots leaders, public-health researchers, community advocacy groups, and environmental organizations — urged the committee to advance the bill. CASA policy analyst Jose Coronado Flores gave a personal example of how neighbors exposed to landfill-related pollution became ill: \"During my sophomore year at Harvard, I got a call from my dad late at night... he told me he thought he was gonna die,\" he said, describing a shelter located beside a landfill power plant. Johns Hopkins public-health researchers emphasized costs: Professor Marcia Wills Karp cited hospital costs tied to asthma and other pollution-related illnesses and argued preventive permitting could reduce public-health expenditures.

Community leaders from South Baltimore described repeated permit approvals and expansion requests near neighborhoods already bearing many pollution sources; they said the bill would bring clearer public participation, mitigate harms, and require enforceable community benefits when permits go forward.

Opponents including commercial real-estate and business associations questioned the bill's scope and urged clearer standards to avoid applying the new requirement to minor development permits. The Maryland Department of the Environment provided informational comments and said it was working with sponsors on definitions and fiscal impacts.

The committee did not record a formal vote. Sponsors and stakeholders said they will continue negotiations on precise thresholds, agency procedures, and cost implications for running expanded reviews.","Senators heard testimony on the CHERISH Act (SB 9-78), which would require an 'existing burden' analysis for certain permits near communities with high environmental-justice scores so regulators factor cumulative pollution into approval decisions.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6663573,"Broad testimony supports bill limiting rooster numbers to curb commercial cockfighting and related risks",1083,6616000,7699000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52&start=6616&end=7699","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52/thumbnail_6616000.jpg","/articles/6663573/Maryland/Broad-testimony-supports-bill-limiting-rooster-numbers-to-curb-commercial-cockfighting-and-related-risks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6663573-d5b1e0a6d118ea90ecf5b3c5488dc0f8/orig.mp4?Expires=1773476837&Signature=SgWCfpzX15HRT60jzAhdgfzE472jBAMbKnl1bodLyNtOwrxsIId~ACcxtXwmlg2xKfPRCI-N6~LWLtQSH~bJc3anFXM6hOFWqeEc7ce-iPKaxL0yDfTXZ3gZyPZ~goUZ57ZrxbCOQpYMGk0~0wKlqt50KvtcEWAGSGWv0wQTq5envv8g4d7aPj1iujV2tiGYZEJuq1T-NZKcJFynLoTao4Aa4jQYndqCygvYO5xmr~Wz4K-2mD~DQOObCoYYmRE2JN7bXECH3xSswVv07-iRvfJTvkbmyGobZPRS5GvSR0EpkD89CoyTVdRQ3FNR~5n5qc8lBSXHJF-zWnB7h7ZvBA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee heard wide-ranging testimony on Senate Bill 3-75, a measure aimed at reducing commercial cockfighting by limiting numbers and housing of adult roosters on a property and creating clearer enforcement standards.

Sponsor Senator Kramer said the bill targets the breeding operations that supply illegal fighting: \"The bottom line is there are exemptions, for all of those organizations, for whom this might be a concern, and we have addressed that in the legislation,\" Kramer said. Jennifer Bevin Dangle of Humane World for Animals urged the committee to advance the bill, describing a compromise added during drafting: the bill will apply to adult roosters that are \"being housed or tethered individually,\" a housing pattern animal-control officers associate with commercial breeders rather than typical backyard flocks.

Wayne Pacelle and experts cited public-health and criminal concerns, including international trafficking and the risk that birds and breeding operations can spread avian disease. \"The United States cockfighting community is operating at a level that is unimaginable,\" Wayne Pacelle testified, describing large domestic breeding operations and cross-border movement. Registered animal-control officers and veterinarians reinforced enforcement feasibility: Joy Wilson, a certified animal-control officer, said certain indicators — individual tethering, large counts of roosters, and mutilation of birds — distinguish fighting operations from ordinary backyard flocks.

Law-enforcement and agricultural officials have previously raised implementation and resource questions; the sponsor and witnesses said they are crafting amendments to move enforcement into the criminal code and to calibrate penalties for first-time offenders. The Committee recorded no formal vote during the hearing.

","Senators heard testimony on a bill that would limit how many adult roosters can be kept and how they are housed to make large-scale cockfighting breeding operations easier to detect and enforce against.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6663576,"Anne Arundel seeks authority to pilot managed aquifer recharge using treated reclaimed water",1021,834000,1855000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52&start=834&end=1855","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52/thumbnail_834000.jpg","/articles/6663576/Maryland/Anne-Arundel-seeks-authority-to-pilot-managed-aquifer-recharge-using-treated-reclaimed-water","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6663576-35850447475cfaaf270cc6fc17370e0d/orig.mp4?Expires=1773476837&Signature=dP-fqlqNyZ9NQk2LFHrsxJyW-0rSGdPjpUQfI1FHtmfVhoCWrCcFLKi2EFcMzQsrn~MCdXJ9EjR~31vs7E1GBdljuD4I72oF1axhHa6o2WhHvxf3LlNWB5I71Crt1edWsTfv0g4ejfN~V6im3MUu4C9amE71PLHNQDEJ8ZhW6E0npXPjxxPLINyzt2roZ0z3G-oQMZ7ds8PfalH~9V9FG9DuRIKRofl5TkggJNHvLhYJVm6AeHo0Tl~qxtndhuGdn~HJ42FSggPfXJJ2oavduw0OIbXRbg6kNZZtGfCifwq4HHr94r7D7ZUFhK4Wkl97vkxA6juPWAGtwWFJAc~qWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 9-30 would give the Maryland Department of the Environment explicit authority to permit and regulate managed aquifer recharge (MAR) demonstration facilities that use advanced treatment of reclaimed wastewater to replenish groundwater.

Sponsor Senator Gough told the Education, Energy and the Environment Committee the project is intended as a tightly monitored pilot: \"Senate Bill 9-30 would authorize the Maryland Department of the Environment to review, permit and regulate a process to test the use of treated reclaimed water from a demonstration facility as a source for groundwater augmentation,\" he said. Proponents including Anne Arundel County public works director Karen Henry and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation emphasized potential benefits: more resilient groundwater supplies, reduced nutrient discharges to the Bay, and removal of contaminants including PFAS and pharmaceuticals under advanced treatment.

\"So first of all, we're not putting sewage in there. It is treated to drinking water standards and beyond actually,\" Karen Henry said in response to lawmakers' concerns about risk and monitoring. County and state witnesses said injection would occur only after extensive testing, and that injection operations would be designed so water could be withdrawn if monitoring identified problems.

Lawmakers pressed on alternatives and conservation. Senator Augustine asked whether conservation steps would be tried first; Anne Arundel witnesses noted programs such as advanced metering infrastructure and outreach are part of their conservation strategy while MAR explores long-term supply resilience. MDE and the Department of Natural Resources provided technical input; proponents signaled openness to departmental amendments to clarify permitting and testing requirements.

The committee did not take a final vote; sponsors said they were working on technical language with state agencies. The testimony established MAR as a potentially significant tool for local water resilience but one that relies on regulatory safeguards and monitoring to proceed.

","Senate Bill 9-30 would let the Maryland Department of the Environment permit demonstration projects to inject highly treated reclaimed wastewater into aquifers to test managed aquifer recharge (MAR) as a strategy for groundwater resiliency.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6663563,"Task-force recommendations shape bill to promote accessory dwelling units; cities and counties urge flexibility",366,5138000,5504000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52&start=5138&end=5504","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2390004-5d803ff9ee99f7023b81235623244e52/thumbnail_5138000.jpg","/articles/6663563/Maryland/Task-force-recommendations-shape-bill-to-promote-accessory-dwelling-units-cities-and-counties-urge-flexibility","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6663563-804dd15e6c8fcb337f049d15bdb6ee84/orig.mp4?Expires=1773476837&Signature=YQrQzbkRe9UxjhwIByZHmmg9jdoxaInWfeiFvctU9T9Nmp6OdWJDnXSWndYGmg0roWkuROq0ygbGZkvwxDjHz0azI4r3yq4ctqcrUS0Jr4O6zqIXmBe1AXMR2hYR~xHtoh39E8YdASWo~HFbPN4KMTB8IL-oh1Gh70Kkdz9g2SHk4S5Odn~FNzXBPpSYtZfgLbM0oWVfs4wpD8Kb7r61Ifcn-s6fBRZf6lg11IU2WZNuy1TzFA43mFlmuzoVdFRGi4C3wyNedgPsrTwGkcv~uKLfaBqVRHmtTQXoDBP6i1CLq8a7WB5NUrE1rlXp4OltyOhoIM6IuSnOiA04H5fWYA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 8-91 would act on recommendations from a statewide task force to promote accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by setting minimum statewide standards and encouraging local adoption of objective, predictable rules.

Sponsor Senator Mary Washington said the task force — convened after earlier legislation — produced findings and practical steps to increase ADU production as a low‑cost, low‑impact way to expand housing choices. \"Accessory dwelling units are a vital piece of livable communities,\" she told the committee, noting ADUs can help homeowners generate rental income, support seniors to age in place and expand affordable options.

AARP Maryland's volunteer Priscilla Kenia described a personal case: she said a mother/daughter ADU would let her daughter move in to help as Kenia manages a degenerative illness. \"My middle daughter has agreed to move in to assist me when the time comes, but she'd need her own space,\" Kenia said, urging standards that protect residents and allow ADUs to be built legally and safely. Building-industry representatives and architects supported the bill as a practical step to add housing with private investment.

Municipal and county representatives cautioned against broad preemption and urged that local features — alleys, historic districts, constrained parking, and local code variations — be treated flexibly. Angelica Bailey of the Maryland Municipal League warned that some provisions (notably parking rules and an \"unreasonable limitation\" standard) could tie local hands and asked for amendments. MACo voiced similar concerns about one-size-fits-all setbacks and design rules.

The sponsor and stakeholders signaled willingness to negotiate amendments addressing parking, historic-district criteria and alley-access limitations. No final vote was taken; committee members urged further stakeholder negotiations to refine language.

","Senate Bill 8-91 would implement recommendations from a statewide ADU task force to make accessory dwelling units easier to build across Maryland. Supporters said ADUs expand affordable and intergenerational housing and can help aging in place; municipal groups and counties urged flexibility on parking, historic districts, alley access and local","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate panel hears bill to allow third-party permitting for Dorchester County septic and well reviews

Senate hearing draws wide support for CHERISH Act to factor cumulative impacts into permitting

Broad testimony supports bill limiting rooster numbers to curb commercial cockfighting and related risks

Anne Arundel seeks authority to pilot managed aquifer recharge using treated reclaimed water

Task-force recommendations shape bill to promote accessory dwelling units; cities and counties urge flexibility