Environment
Successes
I was taught, and I firmly believe, that the future of humanity depends on our ability to protect the natural world that created us. Leaving the land that we steward in better condition than we found it is a sacred obligation, and is one that I will seek to fulfill above all others.
We slowed the loss of forest to sprawl development with our forest conservation bill, the strongest county bill in the state until others followed our path
Our Office of Planning and Zoning Green Notice ended the practice of granting “modifications” on subdivision applications that circumvented environmental protection laws unless the impact was mitigated elsewhere
Our Inspections and Permits Stormwater Strike Team has launched an effective battle against sediment loss at development sites
I signed the ban on styrofoam that my predecessor vetoed
We funded expansion of the Watershed Stewards Academy and created Replant Anne Arundel
We created no discharge zones in all of our waterways
We acquired for preservation lands adjacent to Bacon Ridge Natural Area and Quiet Waters Park, and have other land in the pipeline as part of our Green Infrastructure Master Plan to protect 30% of county land by 2030
Plans
In my second term we will aggressively work to implement the Green Infrastructure Master Plan, not only by preserving land but also by managing it better, with a war on invasive plants, a healthy soils initiative, and continued watershed protection and restoration.