Agreement Brings Calvert Funds for Emergency Planning

Last year's projects included:

¿ Planting a record 240,410 acres of cover crops statewide, nearly double the acreage planted the year before.

¿ Transporting a record 99,300 tons of excess manure off farms with high soil phosphorus levels to other farms or facilities that could use this resource safely.

¿ Building 60 animal-waste storage structures to prevent runoff by conserving the nutrient benefits of manure until it can be transported or applied to crops.

O'Malley Asks for Stronger Coastal Construction Bans

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) called this week for stronger state prohibitions on building in critical areas near shorelines.

At a news conference on a Chesapeake Bay beach near Annapolis, O'Malley said the General Assembly should pass a proposed bill overhauling the 24-year-old critical-area law.

The bill would require that new homes be built at least 300 feet back from the waterline of the Chesapeake, Atlantic coastal bays and sections of rivers including the Potomac, Patuxent and Severn.

The bill also includes stricter penalties for homeowners who build near the shoreline without permission, forcing them to relocate noncomplying structures.

Building contractors who violate restrictions could lose their licenses. Records show that many property owners who have built without permission have been allowed by local officials to keep what they've built.