Even if you’ve reached out to Comptroller Peter Franchot before, there are NEW reasons to do it again! You may have written him about the $4/mile peak tolls coming in 2026 and the loss of free lanes on I-270.
But do you want him to vote for a $50 million toll-lane contract without having the State’s Bond Counsel and Financial Advisor even examine it? Details below.
ACTION ITEM
Ahead of the August 11 Board of Public Works (BPW) vote on the toll-lane predevelopment agreement, urge Franchot – the swing vote on this issue – to insist on a delay of vote until the BPW and the public get the information they need.
Call Franchot’s office at the BPW at 410-260-7801 and leave your message.
Send an email to the entire BPW (Governor Hogan, Treasurer Nancy Kopp, and Franchot) at email.bpw@maryland.gov.
For message ideas, see how Hogan prevented the State’s financial and legal experts from reviewing the toll-lane contract (below). Then check out this spot-on Q&A from our friends at the Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition.
If you’ve called or written Franchot before, please do it again! He needs to hear us.
The State Is Forging Ahead, Ignoring the Public Good
In the rush to a BPW vote on August 11, the Governor is doing an end run around our State’s own Treasurer, Nancy Kopp.
The Treasurer was given 30 days to assess an overwhelming number of legal and financial documents and evaluate the risks and costs of the proposed $6 billion public private partnership (P3) agreement.
But the Governor DENIED her request for $100,000 to get the input she needs from the State’s Bond Counsel and Financial Advisor – experts in analyzing and negotiating P3s like the one the BPW will vote on.
Denying the Treasurer’s request is denying her and Comptroller Peter Franchot the ability to perform their due diligence and make an informed decision about the agreement by August 11.
To fulfill his self-described duty as the State’s “fiscal watchdog,” Franchot must insist on delaying the vote until the financial and legal review is complete.
The State is also doing an end run around federal environmental mandates.
The project’s environmental review has not been completed; the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has not been issued. These are not pesky details.
The FEIS is required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). So, too, is the State’s response to the nearly 3,000 unanswered public comments on the draft EIS submitted as part of the NEPA process.
The Mayor and Council of Rockville, the city most at risk from this project, have received no answers to the many substantive questions and issues they raised in their comments submitted over eight months ago. Read the powerful new letter they just sent the BPW.
If the predevelopment agreement is approved on August 11 and the project later fails the environmental review, Maryland taxpayers must pay a $50 million penalty to the private contractor.
But if Franchot calls for a delay of vote until the results of the environmental review are known, that $50 million is not at risk. That alone should persuade Franchot to wait.
What if Franchot Ignores his Responsibilities and Votes ‘Yes’?
Well, first – shame on any public official or politician who understands what’s in the predevelopment agreement and still supports it. And shame on any public official or politician who doesn’t understand what’s in it and blindly supports it anyway.
Second, no need for despair. Even if the BPW approves the predevelopment agreement, this project will have to clear more hurdles: state and federal reviews, mandatory periods for public input, BPW votes, and – if needed – opportunities for litigation before the project can actually go forward.
Meanwhile, and for as long as it takes, we keep making our voices heard.
There’s Strength in Numbers: Help us Grow Our Mailing List
People who read our newsletters take action, and our elected officials take notice! Help spread the word about what we can do to safeguard our environment and promote healthy, efficient, and fair transportation options. Tell your friends and neighbors they can join our newsletter email list by going to https://dontwiden270.org/get-involved and checking the "keep me informed" box. Our website is https://dontwiden270.org.