[4][5] These letters caused a local uproar, with Allegany County officials calling the request a political stunt, an embarrassment and unneeded distraction.

[6] Following criticism from local officials and some constituents, Delegate Jason Buckel and State Senator George Edwards issued a letter withdrawing support for the secession proposal.

Beitzel submitted an application to the Board of County Commissioners to establish an Agricultural District for a farm they own on Accident-Bittner Road For the purpose of seeking conservation easements utilizes the Maryland Rural Legacy Program.

After being informed that the application was approved by the DNR for settlement in 2011, Beitzel informed Mr. Williams A Somerville, Ethics Advisor for the Maryland General Assembly Joint Committee and Legislative Ethics of the pending transaction and asked for a review of the easement to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest before and to ensure appropriate disclosure before requesting final approval by the Board of Public Works for Maryland.

The Beitzel application was approved by unanimous vote of the Board of Public Works and the sale of the conservation easement was finalized in 2011.

[citation needed] Beitzel has sponsored several pieces of legislation related to Deep Creek Lake, a major reservoir in his district, including bills that would allow landowners to purchase contiguous property [11] and a plan to provide funding for state-owned lakes such as Deep Creek.

[12] In March 2015 the Maryland Legislature debated a bill, HB449,[13] that would provide for a three-year period to study the health effects of fracking.

Beitzel offered several amendments to the bill which failed on the House floor before a final veto-proof vote in favor of the health study and moratorium.

"[19] The Washington Post did a follow-up story on the issue when opposition accused Beitzel of a conflict of interest, which he presented to the Maryland Ethics Council in 2011 to assure the public there was no act of wrongdoing.

The question of his conservation easements was raised again, along with his former comments which had led many to conclude that he was not disclosing that he stood to benefit financially if he chose to lease his land for drilling.

Beitzel later provided clarifying remarks and the Post included a copy of a legislative ethics committee report on the matter.

"[23] In January 2023 Garrett College renamed its career technology training center to honor Beitzel in recognition of his efforts towards its creation.