Opinion ID: 2318832
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Petitioner's Pleadings and Testimony in the Circuit Court.

Text: Linthicum's affidavit leaves little room to wonder whether he has genuine aesthetic, recreational, and economic interests in the mainstem of the Western Branch, 8.5 miles downstream of the area where the on-site streams were culverted and wetlands filled. A problem with the Majority opinion is that it takes Linthicum's alleged interests and imparts harm to these interests without requiring Linthicum to supply the correlative evidence himself. This Court should require that an appellant/petitioner make a reasonable showing of harm, based on the actual facts of the permitted activity. [7] Neither Riverkeeper's pleadings nor Linthicum's affidavit or additional testimony made a threshold showing of injury in fact or traceability. Under Laidlaw, the relevant showing of harm for standing falls on the plaintiff, not the environment. 528 U.S. at 181, 120 S.Ct. at 704, 145 L.Ed.2d at 627. The bulk of Linthicum's affidavit was focused on the potential environmental degradation posed by generic urbanization, rather than the specific potential harm of the permitted activity. For example, he stated that the wetlands permit ... will cause impacts to wetlands and streams in the Western Branch ..., that the health of the Western Branch ... will suffer as a direct result of the impacts ..., that diverting and/or compromising streams on the Subject Property can affect the flow rate and ecology of the tributaries ..., and that drainage of stormwater from the impervious surfaces of the Woodmore Towne Center development into the surrounding streams and watershed will further degrade the water quality of the Western Branch. (emphasis added). These are examples of Linthicum's genuine interest in, and concern for, the environment, based on generalized and assumed impacts related to urbanization. They do not explain, however, how these generalized environmental harms cause an injury to Linthicum himself. His affidavit went on to state how impacts to wetlands on the Subject Property will also have a negative effect on my activities downstream ..., but followed this statement with generalized concern for environmental degradation, rather than link the harm to his personal interests. Linthicum's testimony in the Circuit Court expanded on the themes of his affidavit, but continued to fail to demonstrate how the environmental degradation he attributed to the MDE permit harmed, or threatened to harm, his own interests. He stated that he was impacted by the damage done on the site down river, whether it's nutrients, whether it's sedimentation, pollutants and that it's very well established that what happens 10, 20, 100 miles up river [a]ffects the down river, and in this case, [a]ffects me personally on the western branch. It's a cumulative effect, as you know. This is just the sort of water runs downhill line of reasoning warned against by the court in Crown Central, 95 F.3d at 362. Linthicum should have made a more concrete and particularized showing of how the nutrients, sediments, or pollutants, after they inevitably flow downstream, acted, or will act, to harm his particular interests. When questioned by opposing counsel during the Circuit Court proceeding, Linthicum admitted that he did not know the amounts of wetlands being filled under the permit, he had not seen the actual permit itself or the associated drawings of the impact or location of the work, and did not know any facts specific to the permit itself. While this Court should not require individual appellants or petitioners asserting standing in judicial review actions to be engineers or scientists, or even to adduce expert witness testimony, we should require them to have some knowledge of and familiarity with the actual permit they are challenging and understand somewhat the nature and magnitude of the activities to be conducted under the permit. Respondent developer produced substantial amounts of engineering and scientific studies that were submitted to the MDE during the permit process. These documents included hydrology studies that speak to one of Linthicum's concerns about the flow rate of the streams that were culverted, as well as the potential for future flooding. When information regarding the actual nature of the challenged activity is available, potential challengers to environmental permits should be required to be familiar with this information in expiation of their burden to demonstrate their standing in light of that information. This blatant disregard of available information in this record speaks to the patent unreasonableness of Linthicum's fears. When asked directly why the permit matters to him, Linthicum stated: You see the degradation, you see the aforementioned death by a thousand cuts, and you realize that a permit for 250 acres here, in and of itself is one thing, but then another one and another one and another one and another one. He stated further that there is a direct cause and effect between the urbanization and impervious surfaces, like the development at Woodmore Towne Center and the lower parts of the watershed that he frequents. Death of, desertification, [8] and adverse impacts on the downstream area are alleged by the Petitioner to be the direct result of the challenged permit, however, these assertions are not directed towards the activities allowed under the permit and the wetland and stream impacts, but rather the general result of urbanization or pointed towards the greater Woodmore Towne Center. [9] Theses repeated vague themes are Petitioner's substitute for actual knowledge of the permitted activity and critical analysis of the real effects of the permitted activity. For impacts related to wetland permits, as opposed to toxic or metals discharge points, the connection is less clear and may be challenging for appellants/petitioners to prove. Despite this, potential challengers should not be encouraged to use general scientific studies about the impacts of urbanization, channelization, or impervious surfaces as a substitute, rather than a supplement, for explication of genuine and reasonable fears flowing from the proposed activity. In summary, Linthicum asks this Court to equate any impact or harm to the environment from cumulative development or urbanization in the Western Branch watershed with harm to him personally. This is simply not reasonable. This would allow any appellant/petitioner or organization who uses or appreciates environmental or natural resources to say that environmental degradation is per se harm to them. I agree that, in a broad sense, urbanization can cause environmental degradation. Where I do not agree with the Majority opinion is that Linthicum, through his affidavit or testimony on this record, has shown how the permitted activity has caused, or will cause in the future, any harm to his interests. Even under the broader federal standing requirements, an appellant or petitioner must make a specific showing of how a challenged activity harms him/her/it personally, aside from his/her/its love and devotion to the environment. Death by a thousand cuts is not an injury in fact. I would affirm the judgment of the Circuit Court for Prince George's County dismissing Petitioner's judicial review action for lack of standing. Judge MURPHY authorizes me to state that he joins in the views expressed here.