Environment (Conservation · Agriculture)

SB 861 requires Maryland's Department of the Environment to create regulations and a model ordinance for local stormwater management programs to enforce rules on agricultural land. It directly affects farmers and local governments by mandating that programs consult with soil conservation districts before enforcing stormwater regulations on farms. Key provisions include defining agricultural uses (like on-farm processing) separately from commercial development in the stormwater manual and allowing flexibility in enforcement for agricultural land. The bill updates existing law to clarify how stormwater rules apply to farms, avoiding overly rigid standards that could conflict with farming operations. It takes effect October 1, 2026.

HB 1071 requires Maryland's Department of the Environment to create regulations and a model ordinance for local stormwater management programs to enforce rules on agricultural land. It mandates that local programs must work with soil conservation districts to implement these rules and specifies that farm-related uses (like on-farm processing) must be clearly distinguished from commercial development in stormwater regulations. The bill also adds flexibility for enforcing stormwater management on agricultural land, rather than applying standard commercial development rules. This directly affects farmers, local governments, and soil conservation districts by changing how agricultural land is regulated under stormwater management.