Sugarloaf Alliance

Dear Sugarloaf Alliance Colleagues,

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The work to preserve our treasured Sugarloaf area landscape continues. Sugarloaf Alliance is working tirelessly to monitor issues that affect land use planning at the local and state levels to ensure that our environment is protected from encroaching high density residential, commercial and industrial development. (Click here to see the newly announced land planning threat to treasured landscape. “It’s all on the table,” said a member of county planning staff at the 4/17 Planning Commission briefing - start at 22:15 in the county video.)

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Our goal is to raise $20,000 by June 1. Your generous gift will be put to work in our advocacy efforts, challenges to county transparency, and amplified grassroots “get the word out” activity. Our areas of focus include:

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County Transparency.  Sugarloaf Alliance successfully sued the county, under the Maryland Public Information Access (MPIA) statute, forcing the county to release information about backroom conversations and plans for data centers. Through MPIA requests, we learned about secret county dealings with Amazon Web Services, obtained the secret map of possible data center locations, and learned about a secret plan for data centers in a developer's property that was mysteriously cut from the draft Sugarloaf Plan. We shared all this information with the community. The lawsuit was expensive, and we are still in court, seeking full reimbursement of legal fees.

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Secrecy is a primary tool for data center developers, and Sugarloaf Alliance continues its efforts to encourage or force county transparency in its dealings with data center developers. 

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Maryland Legislation. We worked with environmental partners to oppose Gov. Moore’s “Critical Infrastructure Streamlining Act of 2024, an act to allow data centers to install and maintain backup diesel generators without the public scrutiny normally required for installations that would violate environmental regulations. Moore's bill, SB474, sets a bad precedent, undermines the state’s climate mandates, limits the authority of the Public Service Commission to consider climate change when granting certain permits, and gives the data centers carte blanche for using diesel generators” (Maryland Matters).

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Power and new transmission lines for data centers is another issue we’ll face soon. There are plans for new transmission lines from Pennsylvania to northern Virginia, crossing Frederick County and running through the Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan area. We will need to monitor these plans and energize the community to participate in fixing an appropriate path for any new transmission line. 

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The stakes are high, and we need your help to continue our work to protect and preserve the Sugarloaf Plan area. Sugarloaf Alliance has no endowment and no paid staff. YOU are Sugarloaf Alliance: a collaborative group of active citizens, supported by over 650 members. 

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If most of our members contribute $50 

to this fundraising drive,

we will meet our goal. 

 

Please consider making your tax deductible contribution today to preserve our treasured Sugarloaf landscape.  Here’s a LINK to our website donation button. Alternatively, checks may be sent to "Sugarloaf Alliance, Inc." and mailed to Sugarloaf Alliance c/o Nick Carrera, 2602 Thurston Road A, Frederick, MD 21704.

 

Thank you for being part of Sugarloaf Alliance!

 

The Sugarloaf Alliance represents over 650 stakeholders in the Sugarloaf region. The Alliance’s mission is to protect the unique natural and historical aspects of the Sugarloaf Mountain area and its environment through education and initiatives in support of watersheds, streams, meadows, forests, and historic sites. Working with volunteers, civic groups, and local, state, and federal agencies, the organization’s primary goal is to preserve the unique character and serenity of the area for future generations. Sugarloaf Alliance is a 501(c)(3) organization.  Sugarloaf-Alliance.org