By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 January 25th, 2011 Category: Uncategorized

Delegate Wendell Beitzel recently proposed two new pieces of legislation that protect Garrett County and Deep Creek Lake property owners.

House Bill 116 gives the Garrett County Commissioners the authority to enact ordinances in Garrett County regarding setbacks and decommissioning of wind turbines. Oddly enough, no such authority currently exists to protect property owners and neighboring properties in Garrett County. There is certainly a need for this type of legislation as more turbines are planned in different parts of the county.

Delegate Beitzel also proposed legislation that increases the penalty for interfering with Deep Creek property monuments that mark the boundary between property lines and the state owned lakefront buffer strip. Many of these monuments have been moved or tampered with over the years. The  bill increases the penalty up to $2,500.

We are actively involved and closely monitor issues that impact Garrett County and Deep Creek Lake property owners. If you have any questions or comments on how this or any other issue may affect your property, please feel free to contact us at (800) 544-2425 or send us an e-mail. We will keep you updated on these issues as they develop.

By: JonBell jbell@railey.com 301-501-0735 April 12th, 2008 Category: Garrett County News

Governor Martin O’Malley held a news conference in the Savage River State Forest this morning to announce that his administration will not allow commercial wind turbines to be built on Maryland State Forest Land. O’Malley Stated that “While we must continue to explore and make progress on creating a more sustainable and independent energy future for Maryland, we will not do so at the expense of the special lands we hold in the public trust”

The debate to build wind turbines in Garrett State forest became popular to all Maryland Residents when the Baltimore Sun published its Dec 6th 2007 article stating “A Pennsylvania company is asking the O’Malley administration for leases in two Western Maryland state forests so it can clear up to 400 mountaintop acres to build about 100 wind turbines.”

After today’s news conference David Dishneau of WTOPnews.com wrote that “Opponents had claimed that allowing 40-story windmills on state-owned land in mountainous western Maryland would reduce its recreational value, spoil the landscape and lower property values, especially in the thriving Deep Creek Lake resort area of Garrett County.”

Click here to read the full WTOPnews.com article.