O'Malley Takes Route of Active Involvement in ICC
The O'Malley administration filed a motion to join an environmental lawsuit targeting the proposed Intercounty Connector in the Washington suburbs, the Transportation Department announced in a press release.
The controversial plan to build a motor vehicle road stretching from I-370 near Gaithersburg to I-95 in Laurel was most recently challenged by a coalition of environmental groups and residents in a lawsuit. The plaintiffs allege that federal regulatory agencies approved the proposal without considering reasonable alternatives. The agencies also neglected the highway's potential consequences for surrounding communities and the environment.
By coming down on the side of destroying communities and harming the environment, the administation signaled it's prepared to take a very active role in ICC construction. O'Malley always publicly supported the plan, but this move is a bold step in favor of the highway. The suit didn't even name any state agency to begin with - the administration is sticking its nose into the federal government's business. And O'Malley isn't just arguing in general that an ICC should exist; he's saying that the particular plan currently on the books is the only proposal that should even be considered, regardless of its environmental, social, traffic or community effects.
Is this the way to start off smart transportation planning in Maryland? It seems good good and prudent thinking has been sacrificed for the political benefits to be reaped by this popular move.
The League opposes the highway not only for the devastating impact it will have on local communities and the environment, but also because we believe the state must redirect its transportation priorities away from roads and towards public transportation. In addition, the suburb-to-suburb route reflects a disturbing trend in America's landuse patterns in which people live, work and play in suburban areas, hardly venturing into our nation's urban cores. The result is continued reliance on ecologically- and socially- unfriendly cars while our cities rot from neglect.
from The League: Reassembled
The controversial plan to build a motor vehicle road stretching from I-370 near Gaithersburg to I-95 in Laurel was most recently challenged by a coalition of environmental groups and residents in a lawsuit. The plaintiffs allege that federal regulatory agencies approved the proposal without considering reasonable alternatives. The agencies also neglected the highway's potential consequences for surrounding communities and the environment.
By coming down on the side of destroying communities and harming the environment, the administation signaled it's prepared to take a very active role in ICC construction. O'Malley always publicly supported the plan, but this move is a bold step in favor of the highway. The suit didn't even name any state agency to begin with - the administration is sticking its nose into the federal government's business. And O'Malley isn't just arguing in general that an ICC should exist; he's saying that the particular plan currently on the books is the only proposal that should even be considered, regardless of its environmental, social, traffic or community effects.
Is this the way to start off smart transportation planning in Maryland? It seems good good and prudent thinking has been sacrificed for the political benefits to be reaped by this popular move.
The League opposes the highway not only for the devastating impact it will have on local communities and the environment, but also because we believe the state must redirect its transportation priorities away from roads and towards public transportation. In addition, the suburb-to-suburb route reflects a disturbing trend in America's landuse patterns in which people live, work and play in suburban areas, hardly venturing into our nation's urban cores. The result is continued reliance on ecologically- and socially- unfriendly cars while our cities rot from neglect.
from The League: Reassembled
Labels: ICC, O'Malley, transportation
posted by The League: Reassembled at 10:15 PM
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