Breaking News: In a bipartisan vote, the Senate voted 35 to 8 eliminate trash incineration from Maryland’s renewable portfolio standard. From Frederick to Baltimore and across the state activists across have been urging legislators to remove trash incineration and safeguard their communities from the toxic emissions coming from these plants. Burning trash has been included with wind and solar as a renewable source despite the fact that it harms the health of communities.
Act now so that we can achieve a landmark victory this legislative session and permanently stop incentivizing and counting trash incinerators as “clean” energy.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Call and email your Delegates NOW! There is almost no time left this session and this breaking news means we have to act fast. Fill out our action alert to email your Delegate and then follow up with a phone call. After you submit your email, the page will tell you the numbers to call.
If you want a direct link to your Delegate’s email and phone number, you can find that here:
HELP US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Like and share our posts about this bill on Facebook and Twitter and remember to tag your legislator in the comments.
SAMPLE MESSAGE TO LEGISLATORS:
Dear Delegate,
Please act now to support SB 282 and make sure the full House votes on this bill. The Senate just passed the bill with major bipartisan support (37 - 7) and now we need the House to act. The bill stops Maryland from incentivizing the burning of trash by removing polluting trash incineration from Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).
Burning trash has no business being on the same level as wind and solar -- it pumps out dangerous lead, sulfur dioxide, and mercury. Maryland residents, along with public health, environmental, faith, and civil rights groups have been asking for this for years, and now we have the opportunity to act.
SB 282 needs to come to the floor for a full vote in the House of Delegates as soon as possible - we cannot delay with only one day left in this year’s legislative session!
WHAT DOES THE BILL SPECIFICALLY DO
Consult full text of amended bill and "fiscal and policy note" for most detail.
This legislation, as amended, makes three changes to Maryland's renewable portfolio standard (RPS).
1. Completely remove Trash Incineration as a "qualifying resource" meaning that trash incinerators no longer qualify to generate and sell Renewable Energy Credits.
2 Extend the phase-out of "Tier 2" of Maryland's RPS from 2018 to 2020. For context, Maryland’s RPS is divided into two tiers. Most sources of energy are in Tier 1, including wind, solar, black liquor, geothermal, and trash incineration (until it’s removed). Tier 2 only includes large-scale hydro, is capped at 2.5%, and was scheduled to phase out in 2018. This bill extends Tier 2 through 2020, thereby allowing large hydroelectric facilities such as the Conowingo Dam to continue to receive Tier 2 credits.
3. The bill, as amended, also puts an updated restriction on the cost impact associated with large-scale hydropower in Tier 2.
MORE RESOURCES ON TRASH INCINERATION IN MARYLAND
Baltimore Sun, "Power struggle: How a trash incinerator — Baltimore's biggest polluter — became 'green' energy"
Clean Energy Jobs Initiative Fact Sheet on Trash Incineration