Testimony of
Founder and President
On the
For the National Harbor Project
Presented to the
Maryland Department of the Environment,
Water Management Administration,
Nontidal Wetlands and Waterways Division
Wednesday, October 18, 2000
Good evening. My name is Norris McDonald and I am the
founder and president of the African American Environmentalist Association. The African American Environmentalist
Association, founded in 1985, is an environmental organization dedicated to
protecting the environment, enhancing the human ecology, and promoting the
efficient use of natural resources.
I have lived in Prince George’s County for 18
years. I have worked in the
environmental field for 21 years. I was
chairman of the Prince Georges County American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for
two years. I taught a NEPA (National
Environmental Policy Act) course for the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Graduate School in 1997.
I am the author of comprehensive report on pollution in Washington,
D.C. I also served on two governor-appointed
environmental councils: 1) Maryland Advisory Council on Environmental and 2)
the Potomac Middle Tributary Strategy Implementation Team.
AAEA supports the development of the National Harbor
project. We support the project because
it will provide maximal socioeconomic benefits with minimal environmental
impacts. We believe that, like
Washington, D.C. east of the Anacostia River, Prince George’s County lacks
certain amenities that are clearly included in the National Harbor
project. AAEA will continue to support
relatively low-impact retail/commercial projects developed in a Brownfields
context that serve to prevent sprawl.
We also believe that this is the type of project Governor Parris N.
Glendening had in mind in his Smart Growth and Brownfields initiatives.
This permit application provides a
monetary compensation for the displacement of the intermittent nontidal streams
and intermittent nontidal wetlands at the location. The proposal meets all State requirements and has been submitted
with MDE guidelines related to nontidal wetlands mitigation. The monetary contribution of $121,000 is
more than adequate to cover the necessary nontidal streams and wetland
replacement costs. Maryland has
adopted a goal of achieving no net loss of nontidal wetlands. Any wetland loss after December 31, 1990,
regulated under state law, must be offset by mitigation. MDE may accept monetary compensation if it
determines that mitigation is not a feasible alternative.
The Chesapeake Bay Agreement of
1987, as ratified by the Maryland legislature (Nontidal Wetlands Protection
Act) in 1989, provides the framework for protecting and preserving the area’s
nontidal wetlands. Nontidal wetlands
are extremely important to us.
Although, nontidal wetlands have many of the same biological
characteristics as tidal wetlands, nontidal wetlands are inland, freshwater
areas not subject to tidal influence.
Wetlands are important natural resources providing numerous values to
society, including habitat, flood protection, erosion control and water quality
preservation. Nontidal wetlands are
important to a healthy environment. We
are blessed with diverse populations of flora and fauna and many species of
wildlife use nontidal wetlands for breeding, wintering and migrating. Wetland vegetation helps in reducing erosion
of banks.
The wetlands at the National Harbor
site are small, palustrine forested wetlands and intermittent stream channels
that originate at seepage areas above the Potomac River floodplain. In the wetland and immediately adjacent to
the stream channels, the forest canopy is dominated by red maple, green ash,
common elderberry, spicebush, Virginia bugleweed and fowl manna-grass occurring
in the shrub layers. Before reaching
the river, the intermittent water infiltrates into the soils and does not reach
the Potomac River.
The Prince George’s County Department of
Environmental Resources has also approved the stormwater management plan. National Harbor will use Best Management
Practices (BMPs) for stormwater management: infiltration trenches, dry well,
porous pavement, detention ponds, wet pond with shallow marsh fringe, submerged
gravel filter, perimeter sand filter, underground sand filter, grass filter
swale with check dam, and curb less parking lot with bio-retention filter in
island. I am confident that the developer will incorporate state-of-the-art
techniques and technologies to assure the maximum protection for the Potomac
River and the nearby watershed.
The National Harbor site is
absolutely beautiful and will serve as a great experience and view for
all. I think the opponents of the
project will also visit the facility once it is finished. They should bring their families. I can’t wait for my eight-year-old son to
enjoy National Harbor. We are also
boaters and will enjoy the experience of National Harbor from the water. I enjoy teaching my son about the importance
of protecting wetland areas. This
instruction includes visits to wetland areas, mitigation techniques and
practices and the great benefits of appropriate economic development.
Thank you for this opportunity to
testify before you this evening.