Agreement Brings Calvert Funds for Emergency Planning

The 1984 law designated all land within 1,000 feet of the edge of tidal waters and wetlands as "critical area."

The 1,000-foot area was identified using 1972 state wetland maps that are still used today by local governments for enforcement and to determine variances.

"If we don't take action, the bay is going to die," O'Malley said.

Group Says Legislators Withdraw Bullet Tax

A Maryland sportsmen's group said that legislators withdrew a bill that would have put a 5-cent tax on every bullet sold in the state.

The Maryland Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus said the proposal would also have required manufacturers to use lasers to engrave microscopic serial numbers onto every bullet.

The House Judiciary Committee gave the bill unfavorable status Friday, and it was withdrawn by its sponsors on Monday.

The money from the bullet tax would have paid for a database recording who purchased the ammunition.

'Maryland's Best' To Promote Local Meats

The Maryland Department of Agriculture is promoting local meats during March through the "Maryland's Best" branding program.

Through a Web site and advertising, the program helps producers sell their products and provides consumer information.

"Maryland livestock producers raise some of the best and freshest meats available," Agriculture Secretary Roger Richardson said in a statement.

"Buying local helps sustain Maryland farmers and our rural economies as well as the environment by keeping land in farming rather than development and reducing the impacts of transporting our food long distances."

The department said a recent survey by the University of Baltimore's Schaefer Center for Public Policy found that 78 percent of Marylanders are more likely to buy produce that is identified as having been grown by a Maryland farmer. Nearly all of those surveyed said that it is at least "somewhat important" that the state preserve land for farming.

Various farms are offering coupons this month for 10 percent off purchases of up to $100. For a list of participating farms or to download the coupon, visit http://www.marylandsbest.net.

Staff writer David A. Fahrenthold and the Associated Press contributed to this report.