Maryland Students Risk Arrest for Offshore Wind on State House Steps
Minority Business Leaders Urge Passage of MD Wind Bill
Annapolis, 4/6/12
By James McGarry
With time running out in the Maryland General Assembly, a group of minority business and civic leaders from across the state gathered Friday in Annapolis to urge immediate passage of the Offshore Wind Energy Act (SB 237) in the Senate Finance Committee. Leaders highlighted the health and environmental benefits of the bill, as well as the fact that tens of millions of dollars in minority business funds will be lost if the Senate Finance Committee fails to act.
In attendance representing Maryland businesses were Lance Lucas, President of the Greater Baltimore Black Chamber of Commerce, Vernon Wade, President/CEO of Wade Enterprises, Inc. and chair of the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce, and Shawn Young of the Prince George’s Electrical Association. In addition to the thousands of jobs that would be created over the next five years and the more than $100 million in economic opportunities for minority businesses, the speakers emphasized the environmental and health benefits that would result from the bill, citing that African American children are disproportionately affected by asthma.
“If Maryland doesn’t act now, this opportunity could pass us by,” said Wade, before adding that, “we can consider this a game changer.”
The bill must clear the Senate Finance Committee to reach the Senate floor for a vote by Monday, April 9, before the end of the legislative session. It cleared the House of Delegates on March 30 by a margin of 88-47. Supporters are currently working hard to secure a sixth vote in the eleven member panel. Committee Chairman Thomas “Mac” Middleton said the panel will not vote until after the bill has firm majority support within the committee.
Preparing for Climate Change: A Tale of Two States, Maryland and Virginia [Cross-posted from NRDC]
Ben Chou posted this great piece earlier today on the NRDC’s Switchboard blog – follow the link below to head on over and check out the full article.
Preparing for Climate Change: A Tale of Two States, Maryland and Virginia
Although separated by only the Potomac River, the District of Columbia, and parts of West Virginia, the states of Maryland and Virginia could not be farther apart when it comes to preparing for climate change. According to a new NRDC report released today, Ready or Not, Maryland is among the states doing the most to prepare for climate change while Virginia is among 29 states that are far behind in their planning efforts. [Click here to read the rest.]
Activists Encircle State House in “Circle of Support” for Offshore Wind Power Bill
In the first-ever demonstration of its kind in Annapolis, about 400 Marylanders joined hands Monday to form a “circle of support” around the State House in a hopeful call for final passage of the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act (HB 441/ SB 237).
Offshore Wind Power Bill Passes Maryland House of Delegates 88 to 47
March 24 Rally Was a Success!
Hello, everyone! I am CCAN’s new campus organizer for Virginia, and I am very pleased to make your acquaintance. Since starting earlier this month, I have had a great time meeting with students from across the Commonwealth, petitioning, phonebanking (calling students can be incredibly entertaining sometimes), and helping plan for and staff events. Specifically, I am proud to have worked on March 24’s March to End Dominion’s Power Madness in Richmond!
On the morning of the March, I woke up to rain on the skylights, thinking “well, looks like there won’t be many people coming today.” In most cases, when you think of Richmond, VA and rain, you do not think of over 200 people listening to speakers, voicing their opinions, and generally enjoying themselves at a rally.