Latest news with #MikeMcKay
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
McKay seeking second term as state senator
CUMBERLAND — Maryland state Sen. Mike McKay is seeking a second term. McKay, a Republican who represents District 1 — comprised of Allegany, Garrett and a portion of Washington counties — launched his reelection campaign Tuesday during an event that featured about 250 supporters at the Western Maryland Railway Station. 'Town by town, handshake by handshake, we'll listen, we'll lead, and we'll make sure working families have a real voice in Annapolis,' McKay said. His remarks were also posted to social media. McKay has been a state senator since 2023. He was a member of the state House of Delegates, representing District 1C, from 2015 to 2023, and an Allegany County commissioner from 2010 to 2014. He is the only candidate to file so far in the race. The primary election is June 20, 2026.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Open houses for transmission lines project to begin next week
CUMBERLAND — A company that wants to construct high-voltage electric lines through parts of wildlands in Allegany and Garrett counties will host a series of open houses beginning next week. NextEra Energy Transmission plans to build the MidAtlantic Resiliency Link, a new 105-mile line from Virginia to Pennsylvania. According to the company's website, the transmission system, also known as a grid, moves electricity from various power sources to the communities where it can be used, and is 'critical to improving the efficiency and reliability of the electric grid in the Mid-Atlantic region.' Although a specific route for the project hasn't been made public, legislation was recently passed to strip wildlands designations from areas of the state's two westernmost counties, and is on Gov. Wes Moore's desk. Senate Bill 399, introduced earlier this year by state Sen. Mike McKay — a Republican who represents Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties — includes that wildland designations will be exempt in 'areas in the Big Savage Mountain Wildland, Bear Pen Wildland and Dan's Mountain Wildland' subject to a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to construct the lines. More than 30 people and organizations, including The Nature Conservancy and the Maryland Ornithological Society, opposed the bill. Recently, McKay encouraged 'everyone to participate in the public meetings planned in Garrett and Allegany counties.' Open houses The open houses will not include a formal presentation, but project representatives will be available to answer questions and provide project-related information, according to NextEra's website. The events will be held from 3 to 7 p.m.: • May 5 at the Slanesville Volunteer Fire Company, 6951 Bloomery Pike, Slanesville, West Virginia. • May 6 at the Friendsville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, 122 Walnut St., Friendsville. • May 7 at the Good Will Fire Company Armory, 2 Advocate Court, Lonaconing. • May 8 at the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport, 165 Terminal Loop, Wiley Ford, West Virginia. • May 12 at the Erickson Alumni Center, 1 Alumni Drive, Morgantown, West Virginia. • May 13 at the Fairchance Volunteer Fire Department, 31 Pittsburgh St., Fairchance, Pennsylvania. • May 14 at the Bruceton Brandonville Volunteer Fire Department 142 Union St., Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. • May 20 at the Gore Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company, 7184 Northwestern Turnpike, Gore, Virginia.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wildlands exemption bill passes
ANNAPOLIS — In an unusual scenario, three Western Maryland Republican delegates voted with nearly every House Democrat to approve a bill that will strip wildland designations from parts of Allegany and Garrett counties to facilitate construction of overhead transmission lines. The legislation pertains to a new 105-mile line that NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic Inc. wants to construct from Pennsylvania to Virginia, although route details haven't been made public. Senate Bill 399, introduced earlier this year by state Sen. Mike McKay — a Republican who represents Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties, includes that wildland designations will be exempt in 'areas in the Big Savage Mountain Wildland, Bear Pen Wildland and Dan's Mountain Wildland' subject to a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to construct the lines. According to the proposed legislation, the Public Service Commission will require the applicant for the certificate 'to provide wildland impact mitigation guarantees.' The bill, which went before the Education, Energy and the Environment Committee in February, was met with unfavorable testimony from more than 30 people and organizations, including The Nature Conservancy and the Maryland Ornithological Society. Language was added to the measure that included design consultation with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to minimize forest loss, and a replacement of lost designated wildland acreage. Friday, McKay said the revisions helped the bill pass. 'I am glad to see that amendments were adopted by both houses to satisfy the League of Conservation Voters and others to take a position of neutral on SB399,' he said. 'Now, the work begins to make sure that balance is struck between conservation, economic prosperity, energy security and responsible governance,' McKay said. 'I encourage everyone to participate in the public meetings planned in Garrett and Allegany counties.' Officials for the League of Conservation Voters Friday said their position on the bill is 'grumpy neutral.' Marisa Olszewski, environment and community program manager for the organization, said the amendments satisfied some of the group's concerns. 'We're not happy about it,' she said of the bill's passage, adding that the organization prefers the wildlands remain protected. The bill was 'moving forward,' Olszewski said. 'We didn't want them passing the very bad bill with no amendments,' she said. 'It doesn't mean that we became positive about the bill.' 'Precedent' This week, Dels. Jason Buckel, Jim Hinebaugh, who sponsored a cross-file to McKay's bill, and Terry Baker were among a small group of Republicans and roughly 100 Democrats who passed SB399. None of the three responded to Cumberland Times-News questions that included, 'Why did you vote to pass the bill?' About 30 Republicans from across the state voted against the bill, which will destroy Maryland's protected wildlands, Del. Robin Grammer, R-Baltimore County, said. 'Because we have to seek energy from adjacent states, we're now having to create these transmission lines and in many cases wreck areas that have not historically been touched in probably thousands of years,' he said. The project would not serve ratepayers or energy delivery in Maryland, Grammer said. 'There are some cases where they will likely have to take additional private property,' he said. 'We put these extreme energy mandates in place and now we're having to criss-cross the state in this case for a project that doesn't actually serve Maryland,' Grammer said. 'I think this is one of the saddest bills of the session,' he said. Del. Lauren Arikan, R-Hartford County, said 'running wires through our wildlands cannot be the answer.' She warned that the bill's passage would grant permission for future projects in protected areas of Maryland. 'This is a legal precedent we're setting,' Arikan said. 'I'm hoping that the people will speak loudly in the next election cycle and let us know how they feel about it,' she said. Del. C.T. Wilson, D-Charles County, said the bill would require NextEra to replace any wildlands the company takes. 'We are part of a 13-state grid' that means 'sometimes having transmission lines go through out state,' he said. SB399 passed by a 109-29 vote and is now on Gov. Wes Moore's desk. Amendment Grammer drafted an amendment to the bill that he said, 'prevents eminent domain' for construction or maintenance of transmission lines. 'Unfortunately, I think a lot of our state woodlands both private and public are at risk,' he said. 'This bill does not guarantee that we will run these transmission lines through the specified area,' Grammer said. Del. Brian Crosby, D-St. Mary's County, urged the body to resist the amendment. 'This project doesn't use any eminent domain,' he said. The amendment failed with 38 votes in favor and 100 against. Veto Frostburg resident and former Maryland senator John Bambacus said he hopes Moore will veto the bill. 'None of this makes sense to me,' he said, calling the way the legislation came about 'very suspect.' The bill 'from the beginning was a mystery,' Bambacus said, adding that no public discussions were held about the issue. DNR in March hosted a meeting to collect feedback from the public about possible construction of the transmission lines through protected wildlands. However, the organization at that time didn't take a position on the project and said via press release, 'there will be no formal presentations by the department' at the meeting. 'There was no transparency whatsoever,' Bambacus said. 'This is troubling to me on a lot of different levels.' 'Undermined' Garrett County resident and farm owner Steve Storck said there must be accountability for the passage of the bill. 'Preservation is dead in Maryland,' he said. 'In one year the Scenic and Wild Rivers Act, Irreplaceable Natural Areas Act and now the Wildlands Preservation System statute have all been undermined,' Storck said. 'This is all under the leadership of the Moore administration and with the support of DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz,' he said. Restoration and conservation 'are positive things but if we don't protect what is already set aside, what is the point?' Storck said.
CBC
26-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Amid Canada's largest measles outbreak in more than a decade, experts say this COVID-era tool could help
Social Sharing As Canada deals with its largest measles outbreak in more than a decade, health experts say a COVID-era tool could help tame the spread. Wastewater surveillance, which involves testing sewage samples for viral pathogens, became essential during the pandemic. The data helped overwhelmed health officials map out COVID-19's path and better predict the trajectory of cases. At the time, it was praised as a critical public health tool that could serve as a warning system to keep Canadians safe from future harmful infections. And as the current measles outbreak surpasses 500 cases in Canada, experts say this is the moment where leaning into regional wastewater surveillance would be most helpful. And yet, public health officials aren't actively using this tool to test for measles. In fact, wastewater surveillance has been scaled back in Ontario, a current measles hotspot, which scrapped its program last summer. The province said it would instead rely on the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), which has a wastewater monitoring dashboard that compiles data from multiple sites across the country. But PHAC's dashboard currently doesn't track the measles virus. A spokesperson told CBC News the agency tracks weekly measles case counts and publishes them online, but that there are "no plans" for additional monitoring through wastewater. Measles has been placed at the highest standard for monitoring cases, it said, as a "nationally notifiable disease in Canada." Detecting measles before symptoms arise Like COVID-19, measles patients can sometimes be asymptomatic but still contagious, meaning the cases reported now are likely an underestimate. That's where wastewater surveillance could have a major impact. "We could identify the wastewater catchment areas where the measles virus might be spreading and then put in public health measures that would make a huge difference," said Eric Arts, a microbiology professor at Western University. WATCH | How scientists use wastewater to monitor viruses: Wastewater helps scientists track infectious diseases 3 years ago Duration 3:21 The COVID-19 pandemic showed scientists how useful wastewater could be to track infectious diseases, now it's being used to help identify other outbreaks including monkeypox and polio. For example, he says in areas where they detect high amounts of the virus, public health could ramp up vaccination or education campaigns. A study published out of Ottawa earlier this year highlighted the potential of monitoring measles in this way and found that it complements other public health interventions. Mike McKay, director of the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) in Windsor, Ont., has been testing wastewater for COVID-19 since the early days of the pandemic. His team has a formal funding agreement with PHAC to look for COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). And as of last year, health officials across the border in Detroit asked them to test weekly wastewater samples for measles. In February, he said his team started doing the same in southwestern Ontario. "We essentially are taking the pulse of the health of the community," said McKay. "Measles is a great candidate for detection, because individuals who are infected will shed [the] virus usually four days or so before manifestations of the illness are present." At this time, McKay says PHAC has not asked him to test for measles. But through other informal agreements, he's been running the tests for the municipality of Leamington in Ontario, as well as Windsor Regional Hospital and the University of Windsor. Another step One challenge with all of this, according to McKay, is that measles requires an extra step in the testing process. That's because it uses a live-attenuated vaccine, or a weakened and harmless form of the virus. As a result, when someone gets vaccinated, McKay says, it could cause a mild reaction. That reaction can mimic some of the symptoms of a measles infection, and those people can shed the vaccine virus into the wastewater, as well, which could be misleading. Because of that, the signal would have to be further sequenced to determine whether it's from the vaccine or virus. That currently takes a few extra days, he said. Few testing sites leave gaps Even though both McKay and Arts believe the tool is necessary, they agree that there need to be more testing sites in order for it to actually be helpful. Depending on the virus, PHAC has a different number of sites reporting information. Most reporting sites appear to be focused on COVID-19, with 74 listed across the country — PHAC notes that covers about 37 per cent of the population. Especially given what's happening now in Ontario, Arts said, "the rationale for cancelling the wastewater surveillance programs made no sense." The initiative itself, he says, is low-cost and more efficient compared to methods like contact tracing — which can be burdensome as cases rise. A memo from Ontario's chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore earlier this month confirmed that the current outbreak was from a "large gathering with guests from Mennonite communities in New Brunswick last fall." Had wastewater surveillance been in place, public health might have been able to get ahead of the spread. Many cases in southwestern Ontario — particularly in Brant, Brantford, St. Thomas, Haldimand County and Norfolk County — are related to this outbreak, says the memo. Exposures and more cases have also been reported in Manitoba, from family visits to Ontario. "Cases could spread in any unvaccinated community or population but are disproportionately affecting some Mennonite, Amish and other Anabaptist communities, due to a combination of under-immunization and exposure to measles in certain areas," reads part of the letter. Those areas don't have active wastewater monitoring for any viruses, says McKay. But in times like these, he stresses its importance.
CBC
25-02-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Lake Erie had 95% ice cover this winter. What it means for the environment
As southwestern Ontario continues to thaw with milder temperatures, it's hard to believe just last week we were at the tail end of a lengthy cold snap. So much so that Lake Erie reached its winter peak for this season for ice coverage. Roughly 95 per cent of the lake was covered in ice on Feb. 18, according to satellite data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It's receded a bit since then as the weather has warmed up. Overall, that's a stark contrast from this time last year when only 36 per cent of the lake was iced over. The historical average for Lake Erie ice coverage in February is at 60 per cent. Lake Erie last completely froze over in 1996. It's the shallowest of the Great Lakes meaning it loses heat faster than the others. More recently, scientists say Lake Erie came close to icing entirely over in 2014 and 2015 during bitterly cold temperatures. At its thickest, the ice was between 15 to 30 centimetres on the lake earlier this month, according to the U.S. national weather service. Canadian environmental scientist Mike McKay focuses his studies on the Great Lakes. He says what we've seen the past few months is more of a "typical winter" for this region over the last 50 years. "Now, these past five years have been a little unprecedented in the frequency of what I call mild winters, low ice years," said McKay. Benefits for coastal communities McKay says the pros of having lots of lake ice far outweigh the cons relating to the environment. For coastal communities, he says, ice cover protects against erosion. "If you drive along the Ontario shoreline of Lake Erie, you see evidence of receding bluffs, and that's because those bluffs are being battered by winter waves. When we have ice cover, it protects the shoreline against erosion." It's the same for lake effect snow. McKay says ice protects against westerly winds that predominate across latitudes sweeping over the lake, accumulating moisture and dumping heavy snowfall in places such as Buffalo and Cleveland. "When we have ice cover, we have much less lake effect snow." Water's health and level When there's no ice cover, McKay says more particulate nutrients that are present in the water in the fall stay suspended and available for the following summer. "They may be used by by algae, for example, and create some of the algae blooms on Lake Erie," he said. Whereas when there is ice cover it allows the nutrients time to consolidate into the sediment. Raj Bejankiwar is a scientist with the International Joint Commission's Great Lakes regional office. A good portion of his work involves algal blooms on the lake, primarily the western basin. "Less ice, means the water temperature would be warmer," he said. "The sunlight goes all the way to the sediment and that has a negative impact on the spring and summer blooms. It encourages algae blooms. So lesser cover is not good for the lake in terms of algae blooms." Benjankiwar says there are three main factors for algal blooms to grow and spread on a watercourse, and Lake Erie, unfortunately, ticks all of the boxes. "One is warm water. The second is nutrients — phosphorus and nitrogen. The third is run off. The lake is shallow so it has all those factors, and that's why algae likes it. Water levels could also be impacted by large amounts of winter ice. According to Benjankiwar, the lake loses less water in the winter with more ice build on near the surface. "That has a significant impact on the water levels … going forward. The evaporation happens more in winter because the temperature of water and air there is a big difference. And because of that ice is the cover is the first defence." Frozen downside A main downside for expansive ice formation on Lake Erie, and all of the Great Lakes, is its ability to impede shipping, according to McKay. "When there's less ice in the lakes, we don't need the effort of the coast guards as much to escort ships. But right now it's been slow going for a lot of the merchant marine." He says winter ecology can also be impacted when there's too much ice on the lake and researchers can't easily get out on the water to collect samples.
