When something important is happening that will affect our rivers - and we need your help - we will let you know here. We are a growing organization and we can work with our members to let elected officials and other decision-makers know that we care about the West and Rhode Rivers.
State
(To contact our state representatives, click here.)
The 2010 Maryland General Assembly ended on April 12. Overall, it was a dissapointing legislative session for the environment, but we did "eke out" some wins. To see my wrap-up off the session, click here.
County
(To contact our county council representative, click here.)
Impact Fees
The Anne Arundel County Council is considering a bill that would continue to keep developer impact fees artificially low. Guess who picks up the slack? That's right - us. Let our County Councilwoman know that this is a bad idea. Why should taxpayers continue to subsidize the cost of development? It's time to make the developers pay the true cost for the infrastructure, stormwater management, and facilities needed to support development. Tell her Bill 12-10 is bad for our environment and bad for Anne Arundel County. Councilwoman Tricia Johnson represents District 7, which contains the entire watershed for the West and Rhode Rivers. Click here to contact her.
UPDATE (5/3/2010): The council just killed the bill, with a vote of 4 - 3. Councilwoman Johnson voted no, and made a point about the outpouring of opposition she heard from her consituents. This is a big victory - thanks to all West/Rhode Riverkeeper members who contacted her with their views!
