On March 12, 2024, Associate Policy Director Dominic Butchko testified before the House Environment and Transportation in support of HB 1511- Forest Conservation Act- Modifications. This bill extends certain implementation deadlines within the 2023 Forest Conservation Act update.
Without the passage of this legislation, there is likely to be a cascading effect that will chill development in Maryland − especially for affordable housing – and place current projects into a legal limbo until the General Assembly reconvenes in 2025.
Last year, the Maryland General Assembly passed a comprehensive and wide-ranging update to the state’s Forest Conservation Act. This legislation was developed with consultation from a variety of stakeholders, including MACo, and established implementation timelines for state and local governments to update their forest conservation policies. HB 1511 provides an extension to certain provisions in last year’s update, without which, the entirety of the update will be rendered unimplementable. Both the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and counties agree that neither will be able to have their required materials completed by the July 2024 full implementation date.
HB 1511 was heard in the opposite chamber, the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, on March 26. MACo submitted written testimony in support.
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