Guest Bloggers

Legislative Audit Details $71,000 Theft by DNR Employee

mskerryd — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:33:47 +0000

A legislative audit released last week uncovered about $71,000 of likely fraudulent purchase card charges by an unnamed Department of Natural Resources employee.

The audit, found here, was released on April 1. The Department of Legislative Services started its audit in February 2010 when the DNR alerted the agency and the state Attorney General's Office to the potential employee theft.

State Senate Bill Would Add Natural Resources Police Officers

mskerryd — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:18:38 +0000

ANNAPOLIS-- A bill that attempts to increase staffing levels in the Natural Resources Police department is ready for a final vote in the Senate.

Sen. Roy Dyson, D-St. Mary's, is the sponsor of SB937, which would mandate that the state employ at least 435 Natural Resources officers by 2021. The force is currently down to an allocation of 247 officers from 440 in 1990.

Hope Still Alive for O’Malley’s Offshore Wind Legislation

mskerryd — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:54:32 +0000

ANNAPOLIS — Despite concerns that momentum behind the governor’s offshore wind energy bill is fading, Delegate Dereck Davis, D-Prince George’s, said Friday that the bill has more than a fighting chance to pass this session.

The governor’s signature energy initiative has faced opposition from legislators concerned about the project’s costs to the state and consumers.

Natural Resources Police Serve Warrants Relating to the Rockfish Poaching Bust

mskerryd — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:54:29 +0000

Several Natural Resources Police officers searched a home on Tilghman Island Friday, where they served search warrants related to the 10-ton rockfish poaching bust last week.

That poaching find resulted in fisheries agencies closing gill net fishing early and offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the fishermen responsible.

Natural Resources Police Sgt. Art Windemuth said that officers served the warrants but that the warrants were subsequently sealed by court order and he could not talk about them any further.

EPA Announces $491 Million Action Plan for Bay

ndao — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:48:42 +0000

Smithsonian to Begin Research on Low Oxygen Levels in the Bay

ndao — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:33:49 +0000

Editors get a jolt -- and support the bay

aflynn — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:55:30 +0000

By Jennifer Hlad

Capital News Service

News editors from around the country are getting a taste of the Chesapeake's best -- with a side of Yahoo!

Travelling Bean Cappuccino Catering is serving up brews from the Crofton.-based Chesapeake Bay Roasting Co. at the American Society of News Editors conference this week in Washington. The cappuccino bar, and the biodegradable cups the drinks are served in, is sponsored by Yahoo!

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Opposes President's Offshore Drilling Plan

ndao — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:04:57 +0000

The Obama administration will allow offshore oil and gas exploration, ending a moratorium on drilling along most of the East Coast, according to a White House announcement.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation opposes the part of the plan that would allow drilling off the shore of Maryland and Virginia, the organization said in a press release.

MDE Fines Hudson Farm

ndao — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:42:54 +0000

The Maryland Department of the Environment finished its inspection of a chicken farm in Berlin and issued an administrative complaint and penalty against it. The department also handed the farm a $4,000 fine for violating state water pollution laws "for placing sludge deliveries in a pile near a drainage ditch on the farm," according to an MDE press release.

Oyster Recovery Partnership Launches Shell Recycling Initiative

ndao — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:16:10 +0000

The Oyster Recovery Partnership has launched an oyster shell recycling alliance that will focus on collecting used oyster and clam shells from restaurants and caterers in the Baltimore-DC area, according to a press release.

Cleaned oyster shells returned to the Chesapeake Bay can provide habitat for new oysters.

Hundreds Comment on Proposed Oyster Plan

ndao — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:43:10 +0000

The Department of Natural Resources asked for feedback, and they got it. Nearly 1,000 people have submitted comments about the proposed Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development plan, and about half of those people did so at DNR open houses last month, according to a press release.

Fisheries Service Director Tom O'Connell said "the overwhelming majority of the comments (were) supportive," but all comments will be reviewed.

Here is a DNR presentation about the plan.

Senate Committee Debates Renewable Energy Bills

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:13:07 +0000

A slew of bills clearing the way for investments in renewable energy received mixed reviews in the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday.

MDE Drops Application, Impact Fees for Oyster Aquaculture

ndao — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:28:33 +0000

The Maryland Department of the Environment has eliminated permit application and impact fees for commercial oyster aquaculture.

The fees seemed to be in conflict with Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan, which aims to encourage and increase aquaculture in the state. Under the fee system, anyone applying for a commercial oyster aquaculture permit would have had to pay $1,500 and could have been required to pay an impact fee of up to $7,500 per acre, said Jay Apperson, MDE spokesman.