By Dan Zak
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 9, 2006
Aproposed amendment to the St. Mary's County Zoning Ordinance that would revise provisions governing the transfer of development rights program was referred to the Planning Commission on Tuesday after brief discussion before county commissioners.
The program allows property owners to sell their development rights to a buyer, who then can use the rights to obtain approval for development elsewhere in the county. The original tract, known as the sending property, would be preserved as open space.
Among the proposed revisions:
· The calculation of the number of TDRs on a sending property would be changed to one per five acres using gross acreage instead of the current calculation of one TDR per three acres after deducting from the gross acreage all areas deemed environmentally sensitive.
· The transfer of development rights would continue to be allowed from sending to receiving areas within the Rural Preservation District but would require a TDR for each dwelling after the first one on a receiving property.
· The use of TDRs would be prohibited for a greater density than one dwelling unit per five acres in the Rural Legacy Area.
Tobacco Auction SetThe Maryland Tobacco Auction Market will open March 21 and close March 23. A crop estimated at 300,000 pounds will be sold over the three days.
This year's crop is the smallest to go to auction since recordkeeping began in 1866.
The auction will be conducted at two locations, as it was last year: the Farmers and Hughesville tobacco warehouses in Hughesville.
"Maryland's Type 32 is some of the best-quality tobacco in the world, and we are hoping the auction will yield strong prices for this year's crop," state Agriculture Secretary Lewis R. Riley said in a statement announcing the dates. "Despite declining acreage, tobacco still plays an important role in maintaining the Southern Maryland economy and culture."
During the seven-day sales period last year, tobacco buyers paid a total of $2 million (or $142.68 per hundredweight) for 1.4 million pounds of tobacco. Sales from previous years are as follows:
· 2004 -- 1.4 million pounds sold; $2 million paid; season average of $173.43 per hundredweight.
· 2003 -- 2.3 million pounds sold; $3.46 million paid; $148.02 per hundredweight.
· 2002 -- 3.57 million pounds sold; $6 million paid; $167.77 per hundredweight.
· 2001 -- 8.08 million pounds sold; $13.7 million paid; $169.22 per hundredweight.
As of Feb. 1, 854 tobacco farmers representing 7.65 million eligible pounds of tobacco have signed up to participate in the Maryland Tobacco Buyout Program. The totals represent 83 percent of eligible farmers and 92 percent of eligible tobacco.
Wineries Fight Sales RuleMaryland wineries are protesting an administrative ruling issued last week by the Maryland Comptroller's Office that will suspend the wineries' ability to sell their wines to stores and restaurants, effective March 31.
More than two-thirds of Maryland wines are distributed by the wineries directly to stores and restaurants, the Association of Maryland Wineries said in a statement.
"We currently sell 68 percent of our products to restaurants and wine stores in 13 counties in Maryland," said Ken Korando , owner of Solomons Island Winery. Korando, who founded the winery in 2004, said he could go out of business when the ruling takes effect. That fate, he said, could await all farm wineries in Maryland.
The administrative ruling, the comptroller's office said, was intended to place Maryland in compliance with a Supreme Court decision last year that held that states may not favor in-state wineries over out-of-state wineries with respect to the distribution and sale of wine.
Out-of-state wineries are permitted to sell only to wholesalers in Maryland, and in-state producers long have been allowed to sell to wholesalers and retailers. The ruling is intended to put all wineries on equal footing.
"We are reviewing our options -- both legal and legislative," Carol Wilson , president of the wineries association and proprietor of Elk Run Vineyards in Mount Airy, said in a statement released by the association.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles) and state Del. Virginia P. Clagett (D-Anne Arundel) have drafted legislation that would allow Maryland wineries to continue direct sales to retailers and restaurants.
"The state has encouraged the local industry with technical, financial and moral support. We believe it has great promise," Middleton said.
"Farm wineries are in jeopardy, and we need to find a way to save them," Middleton said.
Emissions Bill AssailedRepublican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. 's plan to cut toxic emissions from power plants does not go far enough to protect public health, Democrats said Tuesday as an alternative plan to cap emissions went before a House of Delegates committee.
In the fall, the governor announced changes he said would dramatically reduce emissions of three pollutants from some coal-fired power plants. However, his plan did not address carbon dioxide emissions suspected of contributing to global warming, and some lawmakers want to put tougher caps in the legislation.
Del. James W. Hubbard (D-Prince George's), a sponsor of the bill, said Ehrlich's proposal is "kind of a day late and a dollar short and a little weak on substance."
Both chambers in the General Assembly are considering bills to require coal-fired plants to slash emissions of four pollutants. Besides carbon dioxide, the pollutants are mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrous dioxide.
Before the House committee hearing, environmentalists and a group of nurses called on lawmakers to pass the tougher pollution caps. The bill also calls for tougher limits on mercury emissions than the governor proposes.
Power company representatives who attended the hearing repeated their argument that Maryland acting alone won't clean the air.
"We've been saying all along that we support regional regulation," said Kevin Thornton , a spokesman for Constellation Energy.
A Lesson in Cleaner Energy
More than 60 people gathered at the Northern Senior Center in Charlotte Hall last Thursday to discuss what residents can do about climate change.
They were attending the 2006 Public Forum on Clean Energy, sponsored by the Southern Maryland Greens and the Sierra Club. Various speakers discussed the use of alternative energy sources to reduce pollution and dependence on foreign oil.
Among the participants in the forum were:
· St. Mary's County Commissioner Lawrence D. Jarboe (R-Golden Beach), who advocated driving electric or hybrid vehicles to reduce petroleum consumption. He also announced that the county will install a large bio-diesel fuel tank to accommodate a year-long test of the fuel's reliability to operate county heavy equipment.
· Shannon Schmidt of Solar Tech Inc., who gave detailed examples of how installation of solar panels of photovoltaic (sunlight-to-electricity) cells can increase self-sufficiency and reduce monthly electric bills.
· Mike Ruballa , energy and technology manager for Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, who detailed energy-saving benefits available through the utility's PowerWise residential conservation program.
· Josh Tulkin of Chesapeake Climate Action Network, who described the impact climate change has had on Maryland coastal areas.
Efforts for Wildlife HonoredEmployees at Mirant Corp.'s Morgantown Generating Station and Faulkner Ash Storage Site recently were recognized for their contributions to habitat conservation by the Wildlife Habitat Council.
The Faulkner Ash Storage Site occupies nearly 1,000 acres in rural Charles County. The ash stored at the Faulkner site comes from the Morgantown Generating Station, on the Potomac River shore next to the Route 301 bridge.
In 2003, Morgantown initiated a raptor protection program, Mirant said in a statement. The employee wildlife team installs nesting structures for osprey around the site, and 12 nests have been established. Last year, nine osprey fledglings were observed. The team maintains and monitors purple martin, American kestrel, bat and wood duck nesting boxes, as well as 19 nest boxes for bluebirds and sparrows. Great blue heron and ducks also frequent the pond area. In addition, employees noted an eagle's nest near the combustion turbine yard, and three bald eagles were observed around the site.
Wildlife food plots and native planting projects are maintained at the Faulkner and Morgantown sites. Food plots are planted annually with buckwheat, sorghum and sunflower, and consist of three to four acres. Employees also create native grass and wildflower plots and maintain a total of 40 acres in this type of vegetative mix.
The Wildlife Habitat Council is a nonprofit, non-lobbying organization that works to increase the quality and amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private and public lands through partnerships between corporations and conservation groups.
Guidebook Entries SoughtPreparation of the next edition of the Southern Maryland Trails Guidebook is scheduled to begin in March. This new guide will feature Charles County sites, including art studios and galleries, farms that offer agritourism programs, gardens, museums related to natural resources or agriculture, historic sites, parks or scenic sites, lodgings and locally owned restaurants.
Anyone in Charles County who owns or manages any of these types of businesses and organizations is encouraged to submit information for the guide.
To determine whether a particular business, organization or site is eligible to participate in the Southern Maryland Trails program, owners or managers should complete the application form found at http://www.somdtrails.com . The form is also available by mail or fax by calling the Southern Maryland Trails office at 301-274-1922.
Completed forms should be returned by mail to: Southern Maryland Trails, P.O. Box 745, Hughesville, Md., 20637, Attn: Christine Bergmark, Director, or by fax to 301-274-1924.
The deadline for submitting applications is March 1.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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