The Cecil Whig‘s online site includes coverage of a forum with Representative Andy Harris, where Cecil County officials and others raised a variety of issues, notably the pending compliance costs of bay cleanup efforts. From their coverage:
County Executive Tari Moore and the County Council reached out to Harris to see what, if any, federal help is available.
Council President Robert Hodge led the discussion on the estimated $600 million cost facing Cecil County to meet state mandates on Watershed Implementation Plan requirements.
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“The county’s WIP costs calculates to approximately $2,000 per house in Cecil County,” Moore said.
“Everyone wants a clean bay, but we wonder if we’re really getting the biggest bang for our buck,” Moore said.
Harris agreed with local officials, saying, “You are right to question the science on this.
“We’ve met with the U.S. Geological Survey to ask them to update the science,” Harris said. “We’ve known about sediment from the dam for years, but no one has a plan to take care of it and it’s huge.”
Harris said he hopes Maryland will either decrease their demands, or at least delay the mandate.