MACo submitted a letter to the Regulatory Reform Commission on October 13 advocating for several regulatory and policy reforms in the areas of the environment, education, and transportation/land use. As previously reported on Conduit Street, Governor Larry Hogan created the Commission and charged it with conducting a comprehensive review of Maryland’s regulatory climate in an effort to identify problems that could potentially impact Maryland’s business environment. From the letter:
The Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) is pleased to submit the following four regulation and policy recommendations to the Regulatory Reform Commission for its consideration…The four recommendations, which are detailed further in this letter, include:
(1) Creating an exception process for the requirement that septic systems located outside a critical area must use “best available technology” for the removal of nitrogen (BAT) and aggressively reviewing sewage disposal technologies that could qualify as BAT
(2) Ensuring full credit is being given for all best management practices (BMPs) that are being used to reduce water pollution and nutrient reduction goals under the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) or a local TMDL
(3) Reforming the State Highway Administration (SHA) highway access permit process to ensure greater clarity, responsiveness, and synchronization with the development process
(4) Updating public school construction funding formulas and guidelines to address dramatically increasing construction costs
MACo also wishes to acknowledge and thank the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) for its ongoing efforts in reforming the stormwater restoration project permit process and the Maryland Department of Planning and Sustainable Growth Commission for their pending review of Priority Funding Areas and rural growth issues; both of which portend improved intergovernmental cooperation.
