glossary of terms
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Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays
- Roles and Responsibilities of the Commission
- Composition
- Terms of the Commission Members
- Current Commission Membership
- 2009 Meeting and Submittal Schedule
- A Summary of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission's Criteria and Program Development Activities 1984-1988
(Adobe Acrobat file 9.5MB) - To get the free Acrobat Reader go to Adobe.com.- Meetings and Hearings
- Monthly Commission Meeting Agenda
Roles and Responsibilities of the Commission
The Commission was created by the Critical Area Act in 1984. The Commission was initially charged with adopting regulations and criteria necessary to effectively implement the Act. This effort was completed in 1985; whereupon the Commission was required to review and approve all local government plans, programs, ordinances, and regulations that were proposed as part of a jurisdiction's Critical Area Program. This review and approval process took several years, but all local Critical Area Programs were operational in 1990.Today the Commission's primary responsibilities are the following:
- Review and approve State projects on State-owned land in the Critical Area;
- Review and approve State or local agency actions resulting in major development on private lands or lands owned by local jurisdictions; and
- Review and approve all changes to a jurisdiction's Critical Area Program, including changes to ordinances, regulations, and maps.
Composition
The Commission consists of 29 voting members who are appointed by the Governor. The composition of the Commission is as follows:A chairman, appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate, who serves at the pleasure of the Governor.
Thirteen individuals appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate, each of whom is a resident and an elected or appointed official of a local jurisdiction, and may only serve on the Commission while they hold local office. At least one of the 13 must be an elected or appointed official of a municipality. Each is selected from certain counties or from municipalities within the counties as follows:
- One from each of Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Prince George's counties;
- One from Harford or Cecil County;
- One from Kent or Queen Anne's County;
- One from Caroline County;
- One from Talbot or Dorchester County;
- One from Wicomico or Somerset County;
- Two from Calvert, Charles, or St. Mary's County (both cannot be from the same county); and
- Two from Worcester County, one who is a resident of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the other who is a resident of the Atlantic Coastal Bays watershed.
Eight individuals appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate, who represent diverse interests, and among whom shall be a resident of each of the five counties listed above from which an appointment has not been made subject to the requirements of the thirteen individuals listed above. Three of these eight individuals are "at-large members", one of whom is a private citizen and resident of the Atlantic Coastal Bays watershed.
Seven individuals, who are ex officio members, who are the Secretaries of the following State Departments or their designee:
- Department of Agriculture;
- Department of Business and Economic Development;
- Department of Housing and Community Development;
- Department of the Environment;
- Department of Transportation;
- Department of Natural Resources;
- Department of Planning.
Terms of the Commission Members
Except for the Chairman and ex officio State officers or their designees, the term of a Commission member is four years. A member may serve no more than two terms. The terms are staggered, and at the end of a member's term, he or she continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies. If a vacancy arises, other than through expiration of a term, the Governor shall appoint a successor of like qualification, with the advice and consent of the Senate, within 30 days.Current Commission Membership
The table below reflects the current members of the Commission, the area or agency that each represents, and the year that the Commission member was appointed.
Commission Member
Area or Agency Represented
Year Term Began
Margaret McHale
Chair
2007
Honorable Cathleen M. Vitale
Anne Arundel County
2004
Laurie Feinberg
Baltimore City
2008
David A. C. Carroll
Baltimore County
2004
Norma Powers
Calvert County
2009
Nick Carter
Caroline County
2007
Honorable Judith M. Cox
Cecil County
2003
Honorable Reuben B. Collins, II
Charles County
2007
Honorable Donald Sydnor
Dorchester County
2009
Pete Gutwald
Harford County
2006
Honorable Jay Jacobs
Kent County
2009
Honorable Sadara Barrow
Prince Georges County
2008
Caroline Gabel
Queen Anne’s County
2007
Honorable Francis Jack Russell
St. Mary’s County
2007
H. Kevin Anderson
Somerset County
2004
S. Michael Mielke
Talbot County
2004
Matt Holloway
Wicomico County
2009
Honorable Bruce Morrison
Worcester County, Chesapeake Bay
2006
Honorable Richard Meehan
Worcester County, Coastal Bays
2006
David P. Blazer
Worcester County, Coastal Bays
2002
C. Edward Prager
Eastern Shore Member-At-Large
2004
Judith A. Evans
Western Shore Member-At-Large
2000
Louise Lawrence
Md. Dept. of Agriculture
1990
Rhonda Ray
Md. Dept. of Business and Economic Dev.
2007
Gary Setzer
Md. Dept. of the Environment
2001
Caroline Varney-Alvarado
Md. Dept. of Housing and Community Dev.
2007
Frank W. Dawson, III
Md. Dept. of Natural Resources
2003
Jason Dubow
Md. Dept. of Planning
2007
Meg Andrews
Md. Dept. of Transportation
2000
2009 Meeting and Submittal Schedule
The following schedule is for all project and program issues that are submitted to Commission staff for consideration by the Critical Area Commission at its regularly scheduled meetings. This schedule is for general planning purposes ONLY. The schedule does not necessarily guarantee that a project or program item submitted by the deadline will be considered at the accompanying meeting date. Only projects deemed ‘Complete’ by Commission staff may be scheduled. For more detailed information about submittal requirements, deadlines, or scheduling, contact Kerrie Gallo or Kate Schmidt at (410) 260-3460 or Email: kgallo@dnr.state.md.us or Email: kschmidt@dnr.state.md.us
2009 Meeting and Submittal Schedule
SUBMITTAL DEADLINE
MEETING DATE
November 26
January 7, 2009
December 24
February 4, 2009
January 21
March 4, 2009
February 18
April 1, 2009
March 25
May 6, 2009
April 22
June 3, 2009
May 20
July 1, 2009 July 8, 2009
June 24
August 5, 2009
July 22
September 2, 2008
August 26
October 7, 2009
September 23
November 4, 2009 Cancelled
October 21
December 2, 2009
Monthly Commission Meeting Agenda
The following agenda is posted approximately one week prior to the date of the Commission meeting. Times listed are approximate and interested parties are advised to be present at the beginning of the subcommittee meetings and the plenary meeting. The agenda is subject to change in order to address modifications to agenda items and to accommodate scheduling conflicts of applicants and presenters. To verify that an agenda item will be discussed at a meeting and the approximate time, please contact the Commission the day before the meeting at (410) 260-3460.
Critical Area Commission
Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays
Meeting At
Department of Housing and Community Development
Crownsville, Maryland
November 4, 2009
Meeting has Been Cancelled
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