FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Josh Tulkin, josh.tulkin@mdsierra.org, 240-764-5307
Maryland Sierra Club Joins 44 Groups in Calling for a Longer Comment Period on New I-495/I-270 Toll Lane Environmental Review, Issues Statement
MARYLAND - Today, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) on Gov. Hogan’s controversial plans to expand I-495 and I-270 with private toll lanes. This environmental analysis proposes major changes to the project which could have significant environmental impacts. The analysis attempts to outline the impacts of the toll lanes plan on the region’s air, water, parks, and noise levels. It supplements a previous 19,000 page environmental review on the project by excluding the study of I-495 east of the I-270 eastern spur. Following the SDEIS release, 45 groups issued a letter urging the administration to extend their public comment period from 45 to 120 days to allow time for meaningful public input.
Josh Tulkin, Maryland Sierra Club Director issued the following statement in response to today’s release of the SDEIS:
"A new document does nothing to change the fact that Governor Hogan’s toll lane plan will have sky high tolls and will do great harm to our communities, climate, public health, parks, and historical sites. The release of this new document means the Hogan Administration is trying to move forward on its fundamentally flawed toll lane plan without addressing the first set of very serious public comments. This new review addresses a few issues but raises many more. The proposed 45-day public comment period includes only 30 work days. This is laughably insufficient time for the public to understand and comment on what is now over 8,000 pages supplementing the previous 19,000 page review. Maryland Sierra Club calls on the Hogan Administration to halt this plan once and for all and to work towards equitable and sustainable multimodal solutions that address congestion and tackle the climate crisis instead of perpetuating it.”