ESLC releases 2013 Power inverter Rural Jobs Legislative Agenda Grid tie inverter

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy released its 2013 Rural Jobs Agenda on Monday, a package of how rural Maryland can maintain its rural character and grow economically.

“What we heard was a cry for investment in our towns as economic hubs, protection of rural lands and growing opportunities for jobs through energy innovations,” ESLC Police Manager Josh Hastings said. “Towns and counties are working as hard as they can to accomplish many tasks [-] infrastructure stewardship, new environmental standards,grid tie inverter and public safety, for instance. The Rural Jobs Agenda is a tool to support them as they work to make our future vibrant and healthy.”

The 2013 Rural Jobs Agenda asks to strengthen towns that are the commerce centers for rural communities as economic hubs, and the report says it is essential that towns are healthy, attractive places to live and work for the sustainability of rural lands and industry.

It also calls to continue support of the Sustainable Communities Tax Credit, which Gov. Martin O'Malley has already made a move on Tuesday.

The tax credit program helps spur economic development and revitalization to neighborhoods, O'Malley said.

“The Sustainable Communities Tax Credit program helps fuel community revitalization and job creation in Maryland,” O'Malley said. “Together, we can encourage our communities to grow smarter and build upon our connected priorities of growing the emerging green sector of our economy, strengthening our local communities and neighborhoods and protecting the character, heritage and above all the people who make our state the greatest state in the nation.”

During O'Malley's time in office, the tax credit program, along with its predecessor called Heritage Structure Rehabilitation Tax Credit, have invested more than $84 million in Maryland revitalization projects and helped create 6,300 construction jobs.

As part of this, the Eastern Shore Conservation Center was awarded $875,000 in tax credit to transform an old commercial laundry on South Washington Street in Easton into an office hub for nonprofit organizations and businesses focused on conservation, community development and the creation of healthy and economically sustainable towns, according to the ESLC.

The job agenda also asks to support town-wide technological innovation funding, examples of which are town-wide WiFi and solar panel  trees.

ESLC suggests to reinstitute the Maryland Department of Environment's Loan Forgiveness Program for minor wastewater treatment plants, and to support circuit rider funding initiatives or other efforts to help local governments with their Watershed Implementation Plans.

Part of ESLC's plan is to protect and invest in rural lands and includes safeguarding farms by funding land preservation programs and seeking robust state investment in regional economic councils and Rural Prosperity Fund.

The plan also calls to support Maryland Heritage Areas and transportation policies that result in the most sustainable land use patterns for the Shore, and promote policies that make travel safer and easier and emphasize alternatives to standard travel.

ESLC wants to grow rural opportunities through energy innovations, too, by calling to support offshore wind energy initiatives and supporting the 2013 Community Renewable Energy Generation bill.

According to ESLC, the renewable energy-generating facilities will generate electricity from biomass, micro combined heat and power inverter , solar panel , fuel cell, wing and other methods, and the facilities could be used to reduce grid tie inverter dependency and share energy costs with neighboring small farms.