Take Action

Advocates from 1000 Friends of Maryland are ready for a fight this legislative session. The enemy? The high costs and increased pollution from sprawling development. 

 We must stop sprawling into our rural lands. This development costs taxpayers money, paves over farmland and open spaces, and adds even more pollution to local waters.  We know smart growth pays, and we are going to fight for Maryland’s citizens to protect them from the burdens that current patterns of development create.

• Clean our communities and curb costly sprawl – support legislation that would clean up our existing communities and save taxpayers money by curbing expensive sprawl development especially reducing new development on highly polluting septic systems;
• Strengthen our communities – support full funding for programs that invest in and strengthen our communities, and making those programs as effective as possible;
• Preserve undeveloped lands – oppose any efforts to divert dedicated funds from our nationally recognized land conservation programs;
• Keep farmers farming – support legislation to end the estate tax on family farms;
• Protect smart planning – oppose efforts to impose higher tax burdens, destroy rural lands, and pollute our air and water by rolling back basic smart growth and environmental protections;
• Spend limited state dollars wisely – demand that any increased funding for infrastructure, particularly transportation infrastructure, be connected to strong smart growth limitations on how and where the money can be spent.

 You can read our full legislative agenda here.