O'Malley Praises Perdue for Environmental Leadership - UMD Law Sues

You have to give Governor Martin O’Malley credit for this one. On March 11th, he honored Jim Perdue with the justly-deserved 2010 Governor’s International Leadership Award.
 
Which raises this question: How does O’Malley then justify the use of taxpayer dollars for the University of Maryland law clinic to sue Perdue and an associated chicken farm on the Eastern Shore?

In presenting this award, O’Malley stated, “Under Jim’s leadership, Perdue Farms has shown financial strength, innovation in environmental stewardship, and community outreach, and is a model of successful Maryland enterprises that continues to thrive in these tough economic times. This award serves as recognition of Jim’s contribution to our State, as he has added momentum to the overall effort of Maryland firms on the global horizon.”

Perhaps O’Malley should have given a guest lecture to the law clinic at the University of Maryland and provided the students with his knowledge of Perdue’s “innovation in environmental stewardship.” Instead, the law clinic filed a federal lawsuit that has the agricultural community embroiled in litigation instead of producing new jobs on the Eastern Shore.

Lawmakers are “hopping mad” over the use of taxpayer funds to support expensive litigation tactics against a local industry. Senator J. Lowell Stoltzfus (District 38 – Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester Counties) has supported legislative scrunity through budget language that requires the law clinic to report to legislators about their ongoing cases or else jeopardize a portion of their higher education funding in the state budget.

The Governor’s International Leadership honoree, Jim Perdue, describes the lawsuit as “the biggest threat to agriculture of the past 50 years!”

For more details, see the article by David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post about these legislative proposals –  click here.