skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Waters Muddied Over Maryland Stormwater Fees

play audio
Play

Wednesday, February 12, 2014   

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Stormwater has never been more visible politically in Maryland.

A law that requires the 10 most-populated jurisdictions to charge fees to treat or naturally filter the runoff - which contains bacteria, feces, trash and sediment - is being debated, and legislation to modify the law or repeal it is expected.

Opponents call the fees a "rain tax."

Bill Stack, deputy director of programs at the Center for Watershed Protection, said stormwater fees have been supported for years in other states without controversy as a more transparent and equitable way to pay for water treatment.

"You know exactly what you're getting for the fee that you're paying,” he said, “as opposed to your general tax dollars go into this black box and you're really not sure how those funds are used."

Stack said municipalities pay for water treatment even without stormwater fees - usually through property taxes. The fee is structured based on the amount of solid surfaces, such as nonporous parking lots, on each property.

People often are surprised to learn how common stormwater utility districts are, Stack said, with one survey showing that there are up to 2,000 of them in place around the nation.

"The idea that a user fee system or a stormwater fee system to pay for cleanup,” he said, “really sweeping the countryside since the 1970s."

Stormwater treatment requirements are connected to pollution control requirements to restore Chesapeake Bay. There are other benefits, too. Stack says management systems lead to more green and lush landscaping to act as natural stormwater "filters," and those landscape features can add value to properties.

The text of the stormwater fee law, HB 987, is online at mgaleg.maryland.gov.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021