The General Assembly has again refused to take action to manage Maryland’s transition off coal with certainty, specificity, and dedicated programs to support impacted coal workers and communities. Yesterday, the bipartisan Coal Community Transition Act (HB66) was a surprise last-minute addition to the vote list of the House Economic Matters Committee. Supportive committee members sought to put off a vote to allow for discussions about the bill to continue and to find solutions, but those efforts were dismissed. With a negative result clearly in the works, the bill sponsor decided to withdraw the bill rather than have the bill voted down, thus ending the bill’s chances for passage this session.
As President Biden has said, one of the most important things we can do to fight climate change is plan our transition off coal. And that couldn’t be more urgent in Maryland. One coal-fired power boiler shut down last June. Another shut down in August. One in Prince George’s County is scheduled to shut down in June of this year. These workers and communities will receive no targeted support from the General Assembly.
We want to thank the bill sponsors and supporters in the General Assembly, the environmental and social justice groups, faith leaders, public health professionals, labor unions, local cCounty officials, and more that supported the bill, and the hundreds of local leaders who worked on this, especially those whose communities continue to be harmed by coal pollution. We are beyond disappointed and frustrated at the outcome, but while the bill is dead, the issue remains. We look forward to joining with communities, activists, local leaders, and more to listen, to learn, and to find other ways to work on this critical issue.
Bipartisan Coal Transition Bill Withdrawn by House Sponsor – Maryland Matters