The History
Beginning at the end of 2007, Baltimore Gas & Electric pursued a course of intensive cutting in Patapsco State Park, Cromwell Valley and Gunpowder State Park. The cutting, and the neighbors’ outraged response, was covered in the Catonsville Times, the Baltimore Sun, WBAL-TV, and the Examiner in Washington, D.C.

Local activism continued, supported by action and investigation by the Department of Natural Resources and Parks Service. It appeared that there was little to prevent against utilities from cutting trees whenever and wherever they presented or might present at any time in the future, a hazard to power lines. That freedom led to a significant attitude change regarding cutting and led to the most recent “massacre of trees” as the Patapsco cutting was described by local Sierra Club Ex-Comm member Bob Burchard, in addition to BGE representatives informing local residents that trees on their property could be cut without their consent.

The DNR is engaging in high-level discussions with Constellation Energy to limit the scope of their cutting and require mitigation and replanting in severely cut areas.

To ensure that these limitations are enforced, related bills were proposed in the Maryland General Assembly:
• SB727, SB746, , HB 839 require utilities to notify community residents of upcoming cuttings, and do not cover state park land.
• SB654 require utilities to submit a plan for vegetation management on public land to the Department of Natural Resources, and to be accountable to the DNR for actions based on that plan.

For information on the Congressmen and women involved in these bills, click the link for each bill. For information on the Congressmen and women sitting on the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, click this link

At the close of the session, community activists received word that none of the bills were passed into law.

The story continues....