MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson yesterday testified in support of HB 878 Bay Restoration Fund – County Authority to Incur Indebtedness before the House Ways and Means Committee.

This bill provides counties with an optional and flexible tool to make grants and loans to address septic system pollution.

From the MACo Testimony:

HB 878 authorizes a county to borrow money and incur indebtedness through the issuance and sale of notes in anticipation of the receipt of the county’s allocation of funds under the Bay Restoration Fund (BRF). Counties may use the proceeds to assist homeowners with costs related to upgrading septic and on-site disposal systems.

MACo supports this bill because it gives counties another “tool in the toolbox” to meet their nitrogen reduction goals under the Phase III Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan. As counties exhaust their options for connecting failing septic systems to public sewer or upgrading them to systems using best available technology for nitrogen removal, it is critical to encourage residents to replace conventional septic tanks with nitrogen-reducing units.

Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2021 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.