Protecting Our Environment

Our natural environment and open space is our State's most precious commodity. From the mountains of Garrett County to the farms of southern Maryland to the beaches of Ocean City, Maryland is blessed with a beautiful natural landscape.

Peter Franchot supports reducing nutrient runoff into waterways, preventing the introduction of foreign species of marine life into the Bay, limiting new construction near waterways, and preserving wetlands, environmentally sensitive land, and public park land. These measures, among others, will allow Marylanders to fulfill their responsibility as stewards of our natural resources. He is also committed to working with partners in State government and on the Board of Public Works to implement a more balanced and systematic approach to investing Program Open Space (POS) dollars.

Program Open Space is one of the State's top land preservation initiatives, and as Marylanders, we can be very proud of this nationally recognized program. It has become a model for other states as they look to create parks and recreational areas for residents, while at the same time protecting and preserving precious natural resources against over-development.

To strengthen this program, Comptroller Franchot is committed to working with the Department of Natural Resources to create a new comprehensive strategy to allocate the limited funds we have available. As a member of the House of Delegates, Franchot was proud to be one of the Program's strongest supporters, and now as Comptroller, there is no stronger advocate for our efforts to prevent sprawl development and to protect our precious natural resources.