On January 9, when the Maryland General Assembly convenes for its 90-day 2019 session, the Sierra Club Maryland Chapter will be proposing to the newly elected legislators a far-reaching set of environmental policies for enactment. Specifically, the Chapter will ask the General Assembly to prioritize ambitious, substantive, concrete actions to address two critical environmental crises:
- Climate Change, and
- Plastics Pollution
Our legislative program builds on the Chapter’s extensive political efforts in 2018, which led to the election in November of a strong corps of state legislative environmental champions.
The two largest emitters of climate-destroying greenhouse gases in Maryland are the electric power sector and the transportation sector. With regard to the electric sector, it is time for Maryland to commit to a pathway to reach 100% clean energy within the next two decades. To accomplish that, the General Assembly in 2019 should mandate that the state undertake a series of specific, achievable, and affordable steps between now and 2030 to substantially expand Maryland’s solar and offshore wind capacities, and better incentivize clean wind and solar across the whole region.
At the same time, attention must continue to be paid to our state’s use of carbon-based power sources. In this regard, the Maryland Chapter will prioritize a bill in the 2019 session to ensure that Maryland utilizes the authority granted states by the federal Clean Water Act to guard against the threats proposed new gas pipelines present to water quality in Maryland. In 2018, Governor Hogan and the Maryland Department of the Environment chose not to use that authority when the state granted the fracked gas Potomac Pipeline a Wetlands and Waterways Permit. We need to make sure our state uses all of the tools in its toolbox to protect our communities from fossil fuel pollution, and not repeat what happened with the Potomac Pipeline.
For the transportation sector, the most immediate danger is the Governor’s proposal to widen the BW Parkway, I-495, and I-270. Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in the country, and rather than spending money to get more gas guzzlers on the road, we should be investing in smart growth, public transportation, bike infrastructure, and electric vehicle infrastructure. The Maryland Chapter is continuing to evaluate what the best legislative response should be to the Governor’s highway building effort. In addition, if need be, the Chapter will seek legislation to grant Maryland the authority to participate in a developing regional clean transportation initiative, modeled on the successful Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative that governs power plants in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.
The Maryland Chapter’s efforts to curb plastic pollution will focus in 2019 on passing a statewide ban on most uses of disposable foam food packaging. These products are not recyclable or compostable, and after use break up into tiny pieces that pollute streets and waterways where they absorb toxic chemicals and are ingested by fish. Parts of Maryland already utilize alternative and affordable types of disposable food containers as a result of several local foam bans which have been passed.
And we won’t be limiting ourselves to the priorities mentioned here. We will be supporting initiatives to better protect our forests, expand workforce development in the clean energy industry, ban the harmful pesticide chlorpyriphos, and many more.
Our legislative agenda for 2019 is ambitious and achievable. We need to begin to build productive, positive relationships with the new legislators, and to do this we need your help. We will have numerous volunteer opportunities. We will petition, call offices, lobby, and host our annual Lobby Night. Be on the lookout for more info on all this soon. In the meantime, please reach out to us (email legislation@mdsierra.org) and let us know that you want to get involved! Thank you.