Star-Democrat: "Common Sense Franchot"

It's rare that newspapers make glowing comments about political leaders. But, the Easton Star-Democrat did just that in an op-ed yesterday. They concluded:

Common sense in government leaders is a valuable thing. It's a pleasure to watch Peter Franchot at work. And he may save Maryland taxpayers a lot of money in the process.

The Star Democrat praised Franchot for promoting environmentally sustainable heating at Eastern Shore schools. The Star-Democrat explains:

An intense Comptroller Peter Franchot requested that the Maryland Department of the Environment grant an immediate waiver for a permit holding up a $27 million renovation to Colonel Richardson High School at Wednesday's Maryland Board of Public Works session.

While it should take only a matter of days to secure a state stormwater discharge permit (assuming all the paperwork is in order), the state has reverted to an older process that takes months as it waits for a legal challenge over its procedures from the Waterkeeper Alliance to be resolved. Any project affecting one acre or more of land must go through the rigorous individual permitting process, which can now take as long as five months.

According to MDE spokesman Dawn Stoltzfus, however, MDE does not have the authority to waive the federally mandated permit. The permit for the Colonel Richardson project should be issued April 20 provided no one challenges it, she said.

Franchot was praising the merits of geothermal heating systems at Eastern Shore schools when he learned about a delay in installing just such a system at Colonel Richardson during a meeting Tuesday with The Star Democrat editors. He vowed to raise the issue at the Board of Public Works meeting the next day, and he did.

"I basically said, 'look, just because an environmental group is suing the MDE over a completely unrelated issue, an environmentally friendly project on the Eastern Shore should not be stuck in neutral,'" Franchot said. "It doesn't make any sense. It's a reminder why people get so frustrated with state government."

Franchot lauded Eastern Shore school districts for installing geothermal systems, as they are both environmentally and economically responsible. While Colonel Richardson will reduce its operating costs with installation of the geothermal facility, the construction delays could add to the overall cost to the project, as it may require overtime work to get the geothermal well field installed on time.

"I would like MDE to grant an immediate waiver to the Caroline County school system ... not 90 days from now, not 60 days, tomorrow," Franchot said.

That's the kind of tenacious approach Marylanders need in Annapolis. Geothermal is part of a package of clean energy technologies we need to implement now to stop catastrophic climate change. It's also a technology that will save state and local government money. We can't wait on this kind of project because the wheels of bureaucracy are slow. It's why Comptroller Franchot is taking action. The Star-Democrat continues:

Franchot's take on this holdup demonstrates the same common-sense approach he took last year when one state agency's foolishness was holding up another state agency's efforts to install the broadband cable the length of the Eastern Shore to help make the Shore as computer-connected as more urban parts of the state. It also mirrors his common-sense approach to the proposed 600-seat Sudlersville Middle School auditorium. While the project hasn't won final approval yet, if it is approved, it will be because Franchot spoke up to get it put back into the school construction plans, and it is much-needed by the Sudlersville community.

Now more than ever, Maryland needs common sense leaders to make sure state government works for people.