By Annapolis Notebook
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Del. James W. Hubbard seems to have started a trade dispute with China -- and he's loving every minute of it.
The Prince George's Democrat began to rankle the Chinese government last winter, when the General Assembly took up his bill to make Maryland one of the first states to ban some products manufactured with lead. Hubbard, who gravitates toward environmental issues, offered the bill in response to a high-profile recall of some Chinese-made toys last year that were found to contain too much lead.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative alerted the Chinese government, which sent a letter from Beijing to protest the bill as a barrier to trade. Lawmakers in Annapolis were unfazed and passed the bill, which takes effect next month.
Then came a four-page missive from the World Trade Organization's Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade -- in English and Chinese -- opposing another of Hubbard's bills, to ban a chemical compound called bisphenol A that is central to the plastics industry. Manufacturers in the United States and China use the compound in baby bottles and other products. With testimony on both sides, the bill did not pass out of a House committee.
The Chinese said there is "no specific scientific evidence" proving that products containing bisphenol A are hazardous to children.
Hubbard said he believes both complaints were prompted by lobbyists for the chemical industry, here in Washington.
"I truly feel the [chemical] industry and the toy industry are running to China and saying, 'You ought to oppose these bills, and if you don't you'll lose out on product sales in America,' " he said.
An e-mail to the WTO's Beijing office seeking comment last week went unreturned, as did a call to a spokeswoman for the American Chemistry Council in Washington.
"It makes me feel good that I'm hitting on something," Hubbard said. "If there wasn't a problem, they wouldn't be spending this kind of money and the time they are to try and kill my bills."
He says a bisphenol ban will be his priority when the General Assembly convenes in January.
-- Lisa Rein
Democrats Seek to Turn Gilchrest's Seat
Democrat Frank Kratovil got a boost from the national party last week in his bid to take Maryland's 1st District seat in Congress: His race against GOP state Sen. Andrew P. Harris (Baltimore County) has been targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as a possible pickup in November.
The district, spanning the Eastern Shore, Baltimore County and a slice of Anne Arundel and Harford counties, has been represented since 1991 by Republican Wayne T. Gilchrest. Gilchrest lost to Harris in February's three-way primary. The 1st leans Republican but has an equal number of registered Democrats and Republicans, which is why the race is being closely watched by the DCCC's "Red to Blue" program.
Kratovil, the Kent County prosecutor, and 13 other Democrats won the "Red to Blue" jackpot, which will boost fundraising and organizing.
It probably didn't hurt that the campaign committee is headed by another Free Stater, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D).
-- Lisa Rein
Slots Opponents Target Laurel Park
The slots wars moved last week to Anne Arundel County, where opposition from community leaders and two County Council members coalesced around the Laurel Park racetrack.
Land around the track, on the Prince George's County border, could be the site of thousands of slot machines if voters approve a November referendum. At a news conference, Marylanders United to Stop Slots and other opponents cited arguments including potential traffic that would strain roads and police resources and what they say are the ills of gambling.
Voters will be asked to authorize the state to legalize as many as 15,000 machines at Laurel Park and four other locations in Baltimore and Allegany, Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties.
Venues within two miles of Route 295 would be allowed to bid, meaning Laurel would be eligible but not guaranteed a license.
-- Lisa Rein
$100,000 Grant for Historic Trail
U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) visited the Bladensburg Waterfront Park in Prince George's County last week to announce a $100,000 grant to improve access and signage at waterways that will become part of the new Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail.
The trail will follow the route of the British invasion of Virginia, Maryland and Washington in 1814, by land and water, and is intended to be done in time for the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.
Cardin joined Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) to announce the grant at the waterfront, which is near the historic site of the Battle of Bladensburg. In the 1814 battle, the British smashed a U.S. militia force, leaving the capital open for attack.
"As we prepare for the bicentennial celebration of the War of 1812, the Star-Spangled Banner Trail will ensure that Americans have a much better appreciation of America's past and of Maryland's important contributions to it," Cardin said in a statement.
The trail will follow key events of the war, including a naval battle at St. Leonard's Creek in Calvert County, the Bladensburg battle and the sacking of Washington.
-- Rosalind S. Helderman
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