Leading regional climate group praises Moore Administration’s unprecedented comprehensive plan to meet the state’s ambitious climate pollution reduction mandate of 60% by 2031, calls on him to lay out how to raise the funds
Baltimore, MD — Maryland Governor Wes Moore recently released the state’s final plan for reducing heat trapping pollution in line with state law. The plan includes specific recommendations for every sector of the economy which, if fully implemented, would reduce climate pollution 60% by 2031 and keep the state on track to eliminate net emissions by 2045.
“Governor Moore has done what no Maryland Governor has done before: put forward a plan to invest $1 billion a year in the clean energy economy to eliminate our net climate pollution,” said Jamie DeMarco, Maryland Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Fully implementing the investments and standards recommended in this report will lower energy bills, create good jobs, improve health outcomes, and achieve our pollution reduction mandates.”
Governor Moore proposes funding the new investment through a combination of green revenue bonds, a cap and invest program, a carbon fee, a hazardous substances fee, a clean air toll, and a pollution fee on fuel burning-vehicles. These investments will pay for themselves many times over. The report says that, if fully implemented, this plan “will generate up to $1.2 billion in public health benefits, $2.5 billion in increased personal income, and a net gain of 27,400 jobs between now and 2031 as compared with current policies. Average households will save up to $4,000 annually on energy costs. Air quality and public health outcomes will improve for everyone, especially people living in historically underserved and overburdened communities.”
While the plan lays out potential options for raising the necessary revenue, it falls short of fully embracing a specific plan to generate the needed $1 billion. “It is Governor Moore’s responsibility to lead on the question of revenue raising, and not punt the hard choices to the legislature,” DeMarco added. “We also expect that the Governor will incorporate equity into every part of the state’s decarbonization process.”
In addition to calling for necessary investments, the plan also lays out the standards and policies needed. It calls for a Zero-Emission Heating Equipment Standard, a 20% reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled, eliminating trash incineration from the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, 100% clean energy by 2035, and more. Each of these policies represents a tremendous victory for Maryland’s climate and communities. Taken together, they form the first ever comprehensive plan that, if fully funded, will reduce climate pollution at the necessary speed.
Previously: Over 40 Maryland Groups Tell Governor Moore to “Get it Done by ‘31” for the Climate
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with climate change in the Chesapeake Bay region. For 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
