Maryland lawmakers heard testimony this week on an emergency bill aimed at allowing chicken house construction to resume while the state updates an expired environmental permit.
“Time is money. It’s costing money because it’s blocked up like a dam,” said Wicomico County farmer and realtor Rusty Molnar, speaking Tuesday in support of Senate Bill 371.
He testified before the Senate committee on Education, Energy and Environment that the resulting backlog of livestock housing projects extends beyond construction into commercial lending and local permitting.
Before constructing any new livestock housing – also known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs, in government jargon – state law requires farmers to obtain a water quality permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment, or MDE.
Such permits are issued under the umbrella of a statewide General Discharge Permit, one that sets environmental rules for animal feeding operations, and ensures farmers don’t discharge pollutants into local waterways.
It serves as a master permitting template that individual farms enroll under rather than negotiating separate agreements.
That five-year general permit expired in July. For now, without an active general permit in place, MDE cannot issue new CAFO permits.
Existing farms are allowed to carry on operations under administrative extensions, but brand-new projects have to wait – effectively placing a seven-month freeze on new livestock housing statewide.
Senate Bill 371 would repeal the requirement that farmers must have a permit in hand before building new livestock housing, allowing projects to move forward while MDE finalizes its new general permit. As an emergency bill, it would take effect immediately if passed.
Yet another failure of MD Leg and Moore Admin. ““Unfortunately, my agency did lapse on the permit. I won’t get into the reasons why, but I can tell you and assure that will not happen again,” she told the committee.” So, pay no attention to the reasons why they failed or ask what is being done to correct it. Move along…