Gov. Martin O?Malley and Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine called on Congress Wednesday to pass legislation to control greenhouse gas emissions, arguing the health of the Chesapeake Bay is at stake.
“We now know with certainty that human activities ? including coastal development, the burning of fossil fuels and increasing greenhouse gas emissions ? are contributing to both the causes and consequences of climate change,” O?Malley told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
But his testimony did not go over well with critics of the Intercounty Connector ? an 18-mile toll road that would connect Montgomery and Prince George?s counties.
Mike Harold, global warming director for the Audubon Naturalist Society, said O?Malley “showed a very strong grasp of the issue and made good points about what he?s doing in his state and how we need federal action. He also continues to fail to put those words into deeds when he moves along with the ICC.”
State studies found the highway?s construction would result in a 20 percent increase in the number of vehicle miles traveled in a large section of the county by the year 2030. Road opponents say the increase in vehicle miles traveled will add to more pollution.
O?Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said the governor supports both construction of the ICC and efforts to combat global warming.
“The governor has instructed the Maryland Department of Transportation to make sure the project is constructed in the most environmentally friendly way possible,” Abbruzzese said. “The governor is greatly concerned with global warming and its effects on the Chesapeake Bay, but at the same time he?s mindful of the role that traffic and gridlock play in degrading the quality of life for people in Prince George?s and Montgomery County.”
Montgomery County Council Member Phil Andrews said for O?Malley to discuss global warming without referencing ICC construction is like “ignoring a bull in a china shop.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
