FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 3, 2019
For More Information:
Eden Durbin, Chief of Staff for Delegate Solomon, jared.solomon@house.state.md.us, 301-858-3130
Brad German, Citizens Against Beltway Expansion, 495CABE@gmail.com, 301-651-2087
Pete Altman, DontWiden270.org, DontWiden270@gmail.com, 301-298-1557
Josh Tulkin, Maryland Sierra Club, josh.tulkin@mdsierra.org, 650-722-3171
ELECTED, CIVIC LEADERS PRESS MD SENATE FOR TAXPAYER, ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS ON FOR-PROFIT TOLL LANE PROJECTS
ANNAPOLIS, MD - With just five days left during the 2019 Maryland General Assembly session, a coalition of elected officials and civic leaders today urged the Maryland Senate to pass The P3 Transportation Safeguards Act (House Bill 1091). The bill would reform the flawed process being used by the state to ram through its massive, $11 billion Public Private Partnership (P3) plan to widen I-495 and I-270 with four, high-cost, privatized toll lanes. If enacted, the proposal would be the largest P3 project in North America.
The P3 Transportation Safeguards Act, will be heard later today by the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. It was overwhelmingly passed by the House on March 18th with a veto-proof majority of 96-42.
"Good governance is the hallmark of good government. We must be good stewards of the environment and create financial certainty for our state. This legislation is about adding common sense oversight and safeguards to the public private partnership process,” said Delegate Jared Solomon, sponsor of the bill.
Following the non-partisan recommendations from the Department of Legislative Services, the P3 Transportation Safeguards Act would require a completed environmental impact statement prior to the release of a “presolicitation report” that designates a project as a P3. Other bill provisions aim to protect taxpayers if the P3 partner fails and enable the public to build competitive road and mass transit projects without paying costly penalties to private toll road companies.
"The bottom line is that before we give away state infrastructure for 50 years to a private company for a mega toll lane project, we need to understand what we are getting and the financial risks to the state.”- Delegate Marc Korman
“This legislation sponsored by Delegate Solomon and supported by County Executive Elrich would establish an independent rating survey to review Public Private Partnership arrangements in Maryland with baseline participant credit strength, and better identify possible transportation impacts to local governments. Public confidence in large P3 processes is waning due to lack of transparency, and enhanced bond rating protections are prudent when dealing with proposed multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects.”- Senator Susan C. Lee
“HB1091 is a common-sense bill that recognizes the urgent need to avert climate disaster. An environmental study should inform whether we expand highways at all, rather than one particular expansion scheme informing the environmental study.” -Delegate Vaughn Stewart
“The Montgomery County Executive and County Council’s position is that MDOT should focus any improvements on the American Legion Bridge and the upper portion of I-270 prior to considering changes to the constrained portions of the Beltway. The County also requests that MDOT include robust bus rapid transit and associated infrastructure with any highway alterations.”- Councilmember Tom Hucker, Chair Montgomery County Council Transportation Committee
“HB1091 is a crucial step to make sure that transportation projects with significant, long term impacts are thoroughly vetted for fiscal and environmental responsibility. This legislation will add transparency to P3 projects, which every community deserves.”-Delegate Lorig Charkoudian
“Before legislators go home for the year, they need to make sure that ‘the largest P3 traffic relief project in the world’ gets the scrutiny and oversight it deserves. Before the State signs multi-billion dollar deals to privatize our transportation system, with lasting impact on the lives of millions of Marylanders, the General Assembly needs to make sure the State’s vital long-term interests are protected.”- Gary V. Hodge, President, Regional Policy Advisors, former Charles County Commissioner and Executive Director of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland
“Transportation projects worth billions deserve to be thoroughly vetted. Any use of taxpayer dollars—whether used for the construction or study of infrastructure projects—demands rigorous oversight. HB1091 aligns Maryland’s spending with our policy goals.” Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass
“I am deeply concerned that the Administration has ignored the valid concerns of the community and ignored the experience of States like Virginia, where adding lanes has only led to more traffic. The people who live here know what works and that a proposal without transit means lasting congestion.”- Delegate Kumar Barve, Chairman of the House Environment & Transportation Committee.
“While Public Private Partnerships have the ability to bring positive benefit to our residents, the Prince George's County Council is concerned that the current Maryland P3 statute lacks sufficient safeguards to protect the voice of the County and our residents.”- Honorable Todd Turner, Prince George's County Council Chair
"House Bill 1091 is common sense legislation that restores some integrity to our transportation planning process."- Delegate Al Carr
“Time is running out. Taxpayers need HB 1091 now to find out what this huge, $11 billion proposal could do to our wallets, our communities, and our environment before MDOT tries to commit us to a 50-year contract.” - Brad German, co-chair of Citizens Against Beltway Expansion in Montgomery County.
"HB 1091 is an important start on the kinds of oversight tools and protections needed to make sure that privately-funded road projects won't bulldoze nearby residents, taxpayers and the environment. Making sure that work on these projects cannot start until we know the financial and environmental impacts is a common-sense approach.”- Pete Altman, Founder, DontWiden270.org.
“Passing the P3 Transportation Safeguards Act is a matter of public health. Transportation is the number one source of climate pollution and premature deaths related to air pollution. Governor Hogan and MDOT are rushing a proposal to massively expand 495 and 270 without even understanding how these plans would impact our air, water, and climate for generations to come.”- Josh Tulkin, Maryland Sierra Club Director.
“Public private partnerships can be useful tools for financing transportation projects, but there are multiple examples in the U.S. of poorly structured deals that taxpayers, motorists and government leaders come to regret. This legislation requires a deal to get some appropriate scrutiny before an agency signs on the bottom line with a private firm.”- Brian O’Malley, President & CEO, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance
Organizations supporting HB 1091 at the press conference include: Don’tWiden270, Maryland Sierra Club, Citizens Against Beltway Expansion, Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, and many more.
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Citizens Against Beltway Expansion (CABE) is a coalition of civic associations, environmental groups, and concerned citizens who oppose widening I-495 for privatized, for-profit toll lanes. CABE supports operational road changes, affordable mass transit, efficiency incentives, and similar approaches that give travelers better choices while protecting homes, communities, businesses and the environment. For more information, visit www.CABE495.com and follow us on Facebook.
Founded in 1892, the Sierra Club is America’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization. The Maryland Chapter has over 70,000 members and supporters, and the Sierra Club nationwide has approximately 800,000 members.
DontWiden270.org was founded in response to Governor Hogan’s plan to widen I-270 and I-495. Since its formation, the group’s volunteers have been active in educating community residents about the potential threat and advocating on behalf of residents living in the highway’s shadow. The group was the first to get Governor Larry Hogan on record promising the project would not knock down any homes, led the call urging the Governor to make his promise a binding commitment, organized local citizens to attend public meetings with MDOT and local elected officials, has written to and met with elected representatives with the City, County and General Assembly about the project, and has carefully monitored the administration’s various statements regarding its promises to protect homes.