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3166 VETOES
sewage and sludge into Charles County.
May 31, 1974.
Honorable John Hanson Briscoe
Speaker of the House of Delegates
State House
Annapolis, Maryland 21404
Dear Mr. Speaker:
In accordance with Article II, Section 17, of the
Maryland Constitution, I have today vetoed House Bill
1683.
This bill prohibits the transportation into Charles
County, for the purposes of disposal or deposit, of any
sewage or sludge, without first obtaining a permit
therefor from the County Commissioners.
In 1970, when the Maryland Environmental Service was
created, careful consideration was given by the General
Assembly to the balance of State and local authority over
the handling and disposition of both solid and liquid
wastes. At that time, it was determined by the
legislature that, with respect to solid wastes only, a
county (or other local unit) would have the right of veto
over any proposed disposition within its jurisdiction of
solid wastes; however, with respect to the disposition of
liquid wastes, which include sewage, the Maryland
Environmental Service need not obtain the prior consent
of the local governing body in its regional planning
(cf., Chapter 240 of the Acts of 1970). This balance has
ever since continued to be the established legislative
policy of the State (cf., subtitle 1 of Title 3 of the
new Natural Resources Article, as enacted by Chapter 4 of
the Acts of 1973, 1st Sp. Sess.).
To permit single—county regulation over the
transportation of sewage—as does House Bill 1683—would
be in contravention of that legislative policy and, more
seriously, would impair the ability of the Maryland
Environmental Service to plan and provide adequately for
regional liquid waste collection, treatment, and disposal
facilities. For these reasons, the Department of Natural
Resources has urged that I veto House Bill 1683. A copy
of the Department's letter is attached to and should be
considered a part of this veto message.
Consequently, I have decided to veto House Bill
1683.
Sincerely,
/s/ Marvin Mandel
Governor
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