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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 10, 2024 03:39 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Clint Owlett |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Funding County Stream Maintenance Through State Gas Leases |
| As we all know, flooding is a serious and significant concern that causes issues in many of our communities. Properly maintaining and managing our creeks and streams can help reduce the negative impacts of flooding. Doing so also has the added advantage of reducing sediment which can cause pollution when collected in areas like the Chesapeake Bay. One of the issues is there is never enough funding to go around to do this important work. Thus, the state does little to maintain creeks and streams in our communities, so this burden falls almost exclusively at the local level and the landowners who rarely have the resources needed to do this critical work. The state, however, has been benefiting and claiming “ownership” of many of these waterways if they are considered navigable waters. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has been leasing the oil and gas rights under many of these streambeds and collecting payment in return. These have been significant payments to the state that could be instrumental to protecting lives, livelihoods, and the environment. I do not believe the state should have it both ways. They should not be benefitting from the public waterways in our communities without helping our communities maintain these creeks and streams. My legislation will direct all of the lease and royalty payments that DCNR collects from these streambed leases that are outside of the state forest to the counties where the oil or gas production is occurring. These funds are to be put in a restricted account for the county to use solely for properly maintaining creeks and streams within the county. The legislation will also require DCNR to retroactively pay the equivalent of how much money they have collected under existing leases since 2014 in each county to the counties to be put into these restricted accounts. This will give our counties the ability to do some critical projects right away and ensure consistent funding in the future. Please join me in cosponsoring this important legislation to ensure that our communities have the proper tools to do this important work to reduce stream pollution and help prevent flooding. |
Introduced as HB2603
Memo Updated: September 10, 2024 03:58 PM