For a county with more than 1,500 miles of streams, a plan from the Trump administration to limit which waterways are federally protected poses a problem.
The plan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would limit protections to relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water. “Which means that many wetlands and smaller streams would no longer be protected,” County Executive Marc Elrich commented during a media briefing Wednesday.
“We’re going to have to talk to our attorneys, particularly environmental lawyers, to see how the federal designation of streams affects local designation of streams,” he said. The county’s streams contribute to drinking water, natural habitats and resilience to flooding, he added.
Elrich hopes the county can have some ability to maintain control, “But, if this comes down to, if it’s not defined by the federal government, you can’t protect it — much of this country is completely screwed.”
“It is a disaster in the making and this is our clean water.” He added, “Hopefully it’s not as bad as it possibly appears, but it may be as bad. Could be worse.”
Retiring Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul Pinsky joined the briefing.
“Every night on the news, for those of us who still watch the nightly news, it’s led by hurricane, flooding, tornado, sea level rise — first and second story virtually every night,” Pinsky said. “And that’s because the effects of climate change are growing and worsening.”
New County Director
On Tuesday, the County Council confirmed Elrich’s nominee for the new director of the county’s Department of Environmental Protection: Jennifer Macedonia. She most recently worked in the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Implementation, per a press release.
“I think she can help us address issues regarding our streams because her background is in EPA,” Elrich said. He added, “She’s worked in this field, so having her expertise, understanding things at a federal level, will be very helpful.
The previous DEP Director Jon Monger remains a government administrator now in Olympia, Washington, according to an online profile.
