Environmentalists Wednesday called on Maryland lawmakers to consider a new fee on existing houses and commercial buildings that could raise $85 million annually for Chesapeake Bay restoration.
For the average Maryland homeowner, it would cost about $10 per year, said Kim Coble, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The coalition last year proposed a similar “green fund” fee on new development, but Coble said the group did not want to “penalize growth.”
That change has attracted the support of former opponents including the Maryland Home Builders Association.
“This is the right solution because it calls upon all of us as citizens of Maryland and stewards of the Bay to be part of the solution,” said John Kortecamp, association executive vice president.
Environmentalists said the timing of their proposal coincides with Gov. Martin O?Malley?s new tax plan to address the state?s $1.5 billion structural deficit. O?Malley voiced support for the “original” green fund targeting developers last year ? which failed to pass muster with legislators ? and will consider the latest proposal, said spokesman Rick Abbruzzese.
“It?s a great thing when environmentalists and home builders can come together around restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and that?s exactly what happened this morning,” Abbruzzese said.
The proposal, announced from a restored shore on the St. John?s College campus in Annapolis, calls for an annual fee of 1 cent per square foot of houses after the first 1,000 feet and 1 cent per square foot of “hardened surfaces” in other buildings. County governments will collect and administer the fee.
Existing commercial and industrial property owners could receive a fee reduction for eco-friendly improvements, such as installing green roofs and removing pavement. Counties would keep up to 5 percent of collected fees to offset administrative costs, according to the proposal.
