EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0729*
HOUSE BILL 729
M3, M1 4lr2113
By: Delegates Hill, McComas, Taylor, Terrasa, and Williams
Introduced and read first time: January 29, 2024
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Department of the Environment – Nontidal Wetlands – Protection of Vernal 2
Pools 3
(Vernal Pool Wetlands Protection Act of 2024) 4
FOR the purpose of requiring the Department of the Environment to adopt regulations to 5
protect and preserve vernal pools in the State; requiring the Department to complete 6
a plan for identifying vernal pools in the State; and generally relating to the 7
regulatory protection and preservation of nontidal wetlands and vernal pools in the 8
State. 9
Preamble 10
WHEREAS, Vernal pools are a specialized category of nontidal wetlands that are 11
typically water–filled from early winter through midsummer; and 12
WHEREAS, Vernal pools are unique, small–scale ecosystems that contribute 13
significantly to the biodiversity of Maryland by providing habitat for species that cannot 14
reproduce in alternative habitats, including the wood frog, mole salamanders, and fairy 15
shrimp; and 16
WHEREAS, Vernal pools provide a significant amount of ecosystem services as they 17
occur frequently throughout Maryland and have the capacity to replenish groundwater and 18
filter stormwater flows; and 19
WHEREAS, Vernal pools are threatened due to limited knowledge of their seasonal 20
presence and the lack of regulatory protections; now, therefore, 21
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 22
That: 23
(a) The Department of the Environment shall adopt regulations to: 24 2 HOUSE BILL 729
(1) establish protections related to the preservation of vernal pools in the 1
State; 2
(2) establish protections for 100–foot buffers around vernal pools in the 3
State; and 4
(3) define vernal pools as seasonal wetlands that support at least one 5
amphibian species. 6
(b) In adopting the regulations required under subsection (a) of this section, the 7
Department shall develop a plan for identifying vernal pools in the State, including the 8
number and location of vernal pools in the State. 9
(c) On or before October 1, 2025, the Department shall report its plan for vernal 10
pools completed in accordance with subsection (b) of this section to the Governor and, in 11
accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly. 12
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, Tha t this Act shall take effect 13
October 1, 2024. 14