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	Coalition for Smarter Growth PRESS RELEASE January 4, 2005 Contacts: Laura Olsen, (202) 244-4408 Brian Henry, ANS, (301)652-9188 x18
DEIS Shows the ICC is a lose-lose-lose situation for Marylanders Groups Releases Initial Critique of the 4500 page study

Today, Local officials, smart growth and environmental organizations released their initial critique of the draft environmental impact study (DEIS) on the Intercounty Connector, the most controversial highway project proposed in decades. The study is about 1500 pages long and has about 3000 pages of additional traffic analysis and appendices.

“The State’s own study of the ICC shows it is a lose-lose-lose situation for Marylanders,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “The governor is asking Maryland taxpayers to go into debt spending $3 billion or more for an 18 mile toll road, one that adds traffic to the beltway and damages or destroys over 7,000 acres of forests, farms, wetlands and drinking water reservoirs. $3 billion with debt, no traffic relief, and massive environmental damage -- that’s why we call it lose-lose-lose. This is no solution.”

The groups focused on five areas of serious concern about the study including the quality of the study and its fast tracked release, the $3 billion cost of the 18 mile toll road, the lack of traffic relief for the Beltway, the major environmental impacts and the failure to consider any alternatives in the study.

“In 1997, the US Environmental Protection Agency commented that for a road with such gross environmental and community impacts, it has relatively little effect on traffic congestion. In 2004, that is still the overwhelming conclusion one gets from reviewing the new DEIS,” noted Lee Epstein, Director of the Lands Program at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Fiscally irresponsible
Elected officials echoed the concerns of community groups, with particular concern that the $3 billion financing plan would put a lock on future transportation funding for 15-20 years while other projects across the state are delayed, cancelled or starved for funding.

"The Intercounty Connector is bad for Prince George's, and it is bad for the state of Maryland. The enormous expense of the ICC threatens future funding for roads and transit across the state. This won't solve traffic congestion problems," said Delegate Pauline Menes.

No Traffic Relief for the Beltway
“An ICC would not be expected to provide relief to the Beltway,” states the official DEIS for the ICC. (page IV-316) The State’s study shows that the ICC doesn’t relieve traffic for most people and in fact it would add traffic to parts of the beltway and it would add traffic to north-south roads that carry the highest volumes of traffic.

“The study clearly refutes the notion that an ICC would somehow end gridlock,” said Greenbelt Mayor Judith S. Davis. “We can’t afford a $3 billion project that makes beltway traffic worse and will have additional impacts which have not even been studied, on local and secondary roads.”

Environmental Destruction at New Highs
Despite the state’s claims that it would build an “environmentally sensitive” ICC, the environmental damage predicted in the current DEIS is significantly worse than the damage predicted in the 1997 DEIS for every category, forests, wetlands, and streams. The study says at least 7,000 acres would be destroyed or damaged by building the highway and the development that would be triggered because of an ICC. Over 300 acres of drinking water reservoirs would be severely impacted.

“Why would we spend record amounts of money on a project that has gotten even more environmentally damaging and still doesn’t relieve traffic?” asked Delegate Barbara Frush.

Process Designed to Limit Public Involvement
Groups and local officials have noted that the State Highway Administration released the DEIS right before the holidays and limited accessibility to the study and its appendices for weeks knowing that people could not find the time to read the 4500 page document and appendices before today’s hearing two days after the New Year’s holiday.

“The State should be ashamed for trying to jam a $3 billion highway project down the throats of Maryland residents without even a pretense of true public discourse,” noted Schwartz.

Quality of the Study Questioned
Several errors were noted including maps that hid roads where traffic increased with the ICC and vastly different reporting on the amounts of forests and streams impacted. In addition, the study does not report the total trips or miles of travel on local roads, preventing analysis of the degree to which traffic decreases or increases on local roads. Water quality impacts are given short shrift, with no quantitative analyses undertaken, air quality impacts are similarly under-studied and under-reported, and the state eliminated the of other alternatives that also could meet transportation needs..

“When I was Chief, Branch of Environmental and Economic Analysis for the US Department of the Interior, I would have rejected this DEIS as not being a DEIS, but the world’s largest Environmental Assessment (a preliminary analysis) requiring that a real DEIS be done,” stated Jim Fary of the Montgomery County Sierra Club who read the entire DEIS.

“This isn't so much a draft EIS as a drafty one -- full of holes, lots of empty space and air. The state could have studied this highway proposal properly and objectively, but didn't. Federal law demands that they do so," noted Epstein.

The groups released their initial critique at the first of four public hearings on the ICC, the public’s first opportunity to testify on the controversial $3 billion proposal for an 18 mile toll road in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. Over 240 residents have already signed up to testify at the four scheduled public hearings. Hearings are scheduled for:

Tues. Jan 4th, 5-11 pm, Eleanor Roosevelt High, 7601 Hanover Parkway, Greenbelt, MD
Wed Jan 5th, 5-11 pm, Gaithersburg High School, 314 S. Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg
Sat. Jan 8th, 9-6, Blake High School, 300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring MD
Sat. Jan 22 9-6, Blake High School, 300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring MD

For more information on signing up for the hearings or to submitting comments see www.SaveCommunities.org

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