Tight Budget Puts Chesapeake Cleanup at Risk, Governor Says

Gov. Martin O'Malley said mounting budget pressure could jeopardize part of the initial $50 million that the state is planning to allocate to a trust fund to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, even as the Senate gave preliminary approval yesterday for a plan to spend the money.

"Anything about which there's some discretion, there'll be a lot of pressure to cut, to scale back," O'Malley (D) told reporters yesterday after attending a rally for a separate bill intended to reduce Maryland's contribution to global warming.

A state panel is expected to release revenue estimates today for the coming fiscal year, which will largely determine how much lawmakers will cut from O'Malley's budget proposal before adjourning next month.

The Senate debated and gave preliminary approval to legislation, introduced by O'Malley's administration, detailing how to spend the $50 million the General Assembly put aside last fall for cleanup. The money would be directed to the BayStat program set up by the governor to coordinate restoration efforts of the Chesapeake. The Senate expects to hold a final vote on the bill tomorrow.

Even as he defended the legislation, Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George's) said the $50 million would do little to clean up the Chesapeake. He said scientists estimate such an effort could cost $5 billion.

"It would take 100 years at $50 million a year to clean up the bay," Pinsky said.

The Senate rejected an amendment that would have allowed the fund to help restore the Atlantic Coast bays near Ocean City.

"Diverting any of that money to other areas, no matter how important they are, really does a disservice," Pinsky said. "It is a question of focus, focus, focus. We need to clean up the bay."

-- Philip Rucker and John Wagner

Bills Take Aim at Diploma Test

A House committee began work yesterday on legislation to regulate the use of standardized tests as public high school graduation requirements in Maryland.