ANS Testifies at DC Council Performance Oversight Hearings

It seems like just yesterday that we were in the middle of last year’s budget process in Washington, DC. Once again we find ourselves balancing our city-wide checkbook, but this time in preparation for the 2022 fiscal year. Before DC’s proposed budget is released though, the DC Council holds performance… Continue reading

MD General Assembly Update: A Win for Forests and other news!

More Protection for Forests! It’s finally happened: after three years of pushing, we got two Forest Conservation bills passed in the Maryland General Assembly! HB272/SB234, the In-Lieu-Fee Mitigation Bill, passed both houses a few weeks ago, and on the night of April 2nd, HB735, the Forest Study Bill, passed the… Continue reading

Spending the money to clean up water pollution: Part 2: Who pays?

This is part 2 of a two-part post discussing DC Water’s Clean Rivers Fee and water pollution charges in general. Part 1 was published yesterday.As I discussed in last week’s post, it has always been expensive to clean up water pollution, and it’s always required commitment, cooperation, and cash. That’s… Continue reading

Spending the money to clean up water pollution: Part 1: A long-running part of the DC region’s history

This is part 1 of a two-part post discussing DC Water’s Clean Rivers Fee and water pollution charges in general. Part 2 will be published tomorrow.Recent controversy about DC Water’s Clean Rivers Fee (Washington Post opinion piece, News 4 I-team investigation) had me thinking about what a long, hard battle… Continue reading

Conservation Policy and Advocacy News around the region: Summer 2017 edition

Check out some of the big news, success stories, and advocacy efforts of your ANS staff and volunteers over the last few months… National ⚡️ “ANS joins the Choose Clean Water Coalition Chesapeake Bay Lobby Day”https://t.co/lUjAmmoE4f — AudubonNaturalistSoc (@ANStweets) May 3, 2017 ANS joined the Choose Clean Water Coalition in… Continue reading

ANS comments on Montgomery County’s proposed Concept Sewer Service Policy for RE-1 Zoned Areas with Septic Systems older than 1975

The Montgomery County Council proposed that the County Water and Sewer Plan have a policy that extends sewer service to rural RE-1 zoned areas with septic systems older than 1975, which are presently outside of the adopted sewer envelope.  While ANS appreciates that the Concept Policy includes an attempt to… Continue reading

Tell the County Council – Sewers Don’t Belong in Ten Mile Creek

Emails and testimony needed  (by Monday) to protect backup water supply for 4.3 Million The County Council has provided a strong framework protection for fragile Ten Mile Creek through the Clarksburg Master Plan process. But the devil is in the details. The WSSC has been working on a Sewer Facility… Continue reading