Howard County Executive Calvin Ball recently testified in front of the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee and House Environment and Transportation Committee in support of Senate Bill 172 (SB172) and House Bill 78 (HB78), also known as the Bay Restoration Fund. The legislation would alter the criteria for determining the use of funds in the Fund for purposes including climate resiliency and flood control; it also specifies that certain grants to local government may be used for stormwater management measures.
“The Northeast has experienced a 70 percent increase of precipitation over the last 50 years and Howard County knows, first-hand, the dangers of extreme weather,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “Now is the time to ensure that funds are allocated for climate resiliency and flood mitigation, efforts that will not only protect historic towns like Ellicott City, but ultimately prevent debris and runoff to the Chesapeake Bay.”