Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R), on his first day in office, halted implementing new regulations that would limit the amount of chicken manure that farms can spread on their fields as fertilizer. The Governor’s action angered some environmentalists and prompted lawmakers to propose legislation that would force the new rules to be put into place, according to the Washington Post.
One such bill will be the focus of a state Senate Committee hearing scheduled next week. Yesterday, however, an aide to Governor Hogan said the governor plans to unveil a revised version of the regulations on Monday–a day before the Senate hearing. The official said the governor’s rules will “balance the needs of the environmental and agriculture communities while also delivering immediate action to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.”
State Senator Paul G. Pinsky, who submitted the bill to be considered next Tuesday, said that he will pull his bill if the governor releases regulations comparable to those proposed late last year by then-governor Martin O’Malley (D). “No one disagrees that it’s a major problem,” Pinsky said. “For us to cast a blind eye and say, ‘It’s not a problem,’ or ‘Yeah, it’s a problem, but let’s talk about it some more,’ is not taking responsibility.”
