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Lawmakers hear wide support for bill to preserve Puxent and Beltsville research lands
Summary
Sponsor Mary Layman told the committee HB1267 would lock local zoning designations to conserve roughly 19,500 acres of federal research and refuge lands; mayors, conservationists and scientists urged a favorable report, while witnesses clarified the measure preserves county zoning if federal lands are sold or leased.
Delegate Mary Layman asked the Economic Matters Committee for a favorable report on House Bill 1267, saying the bill would safeguard the zoning of two large federal properties—the Puxent Research Refuge and the Henry A. Beltsville Agricultural Research Center—so that if the federal government sold or leased parcels counties could maintain open-space or conservation zoning.
"The Puxent Research Refuge and Beltsville Agricultural Research Center are irreplaceable green lungs between Washington and Baltimore," Layman said, describing ecological functions such as carbon sequestration, storm-water drainage and biodiversity and citing the refuge's unique research history.
Local elected officials and community representatives—Mayor EMTT Jordan of Greenbelt and former Greenbelt mayor Gary Allen—testified in support, framing the properties as essential to their communities and warning about potential conversion to industrial or residential uses if federal stewardship were withdrawn. Environmental witnesses, including Fred Tutman (Puxent Riverkeeper), Kirsten Hoffman (Maryland Native Plant Coalition), and Judy Fulton (Maryland Native Plant Society), detailed species diversity and forest-interior habitat values and urged protections to prevent fragmentation and loss of rare plant communities.
Witnesses and delegates discussed how the bill interacts with existing state law and county zoning. Layman noted a prior state law protects Beltsville but does not extend to the larger (13,000-acre) Puxent Refuge; HB1267 would update terminology and add consultation requirements with state agencies (DNR and MDE) if portions were proposed for sale or lease. Committee members also asked practical questions about ownership transitions, right-of-first-refusal procedures, and county capacity to assume management if federal lands were surplused.
Supporters said HB1267 is a proactive step to preserve long-term research, flood mitigation, and biodiversity benefits even if federal priorities change. The hearing included both in-person and virtual testimony from local stakeholders and advocacy groups; no formal committee vote was recorded in the transcript.
