State Poised to Deny Charles Connector

Agency Seeks More Information, Time

State regulators have told Charles officials that they plan to deny permits for the Cross County Connector unless the county allows six months of further study on the proposal.

In a letter to county planning director Melvin C. Beall Jr. last week, the Maryland Department of the Environment acknowledged that the agency is required by state law to make a decision on the requested permits by Nov. 30. But, the agency wrote, Charles officials may ask it to delay a decision for six months so the county can provide more information about the project.

"Given the outstanding issues still under review by [the department] and the [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers], the department will not be able to make a favorable decision by the required date," wrote Amanda Sigillito, chief of the agency's non-tidal wetlands and waterways division.

The connector, which would link Indian Head Highway with Route 5, has drawn fire from environmental groups because it would cut through ecologically valuable wetlands in the Mattawoman Creek watershed. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation estimates that seven acres of wetlands would be destroyed.

The letter comes as a blow to county officials, who had hoped to move forward immediately with construction of the $70 million highway. County officials have repeatedly urged the agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to approve the project as soon as possible, saying that the highway is needed to accommodate the growing number of Charles residents commuting inside the Capital Beltway and that the cost to taxpayers continues to increase as construction is delayed.

Beall did not respond to multiple calls seeking comment. County spokesman George Clarkson said he thinks county officials have not decided how to respond to the letter. County officials maintain they have taken all necessary steps to protect the environment.

Environmental activists said the agency letter shows that state officials recognize the problems with the county's proposal. Still, they said, they had hoped the permits would have been denied outright.

"The department appears to be saying, 'We hate to turn you down, but if you don't play ball, you might not get there,' " said Ken Hastings, a spokesman for the Smarter Growth Alliance of Charles County, a coalition of environmental activists. "We're not convinced that we've won this battle yet, and we're not just going to sit around and wait."