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House adopts favorable report on reservoir-augmentation permit bill after questions about $75,000 application fee
Summary
Delegates adopted a committee report on a bill establishing a permit for reservoir augmentation and asked why Maryland Department of the Environment set a $75,000 permit fee and why first applications won’t be received for several years.
The House adopted a committee’s favorable report on a bill to establish a reservoir-augmentation permit and regulatory process after delegates questioned a $75,000 application fee and the program’s timeline.
Lawmakers discussed a pilot project previously authorized in Westminster in 2023 and asked whether the $75,000 fee would discourage jurisdictions from applying. The floor leader and the committee chair explained the fee was intended to cover the permitting and oversight work that the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) would need to perform; one delegate said she could not speak to the department’s detailed cost calculations but said permit administration requires “not insignificant expenses.”
The floor discussion noted the pilot in Westminster and that the bill is enabling legislation; it does not compel any jurisdiction to pursue reservoir augmentation but creates the regulatory framework for jurisdictions that choose to apply. The House adopted the favorable report as amended and ordered the bill printed for third reading.
Legislators said the permitting process would be available for jurisdictions that later decide to pursue potable reuse or other augmentation approaches, and that MDE would administer applications.
