Maryland Sierra Club is a proud member of Climate Partners, a coalition of over one hundred environmental, faith, consumer advocacy, and social justice organizations focused on ensuring equitable implementation of the Climate Solutions Now Act (CSNA). It is governed by a Steering Committee of roughly 15 environmental, faith, and justice focused organizations. The coalition formed in 2021 to support the passage of bold climate legislation, engaging thousands of Marylanders to contribute their voice to this critical conversation. One of its core organizing principles is that robust public participation is essential for the development and implementation of equitable climate policy.
On October 15, Climate Partners submitted a comprehensive set of recommendations (https://bit.ly/cpfinalrecs2023) for reducing Maryland’s climate pollution to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). The 112-page report outlined sector-specific recommendations for transportation, energy and electricity, buildings, natural resources, and waste along with overarching themes relating to equity, revenue, and monitoring and evaluation.
Climate Partners has worked for over a year to bring forth a set of shared recommendations developed by a broad cross-section of Maryland organizations and communities. The coalition’s recommendations are informed by input from over one hundred community organizations and Maryland leaders, gathered through over a dozen town halls and roundtable events, over 25 interviews and consultations, surveys, and more. They were ultimately endorsed by 34 organizational members.
The recommendations to MDE are intended to inform the development of Maryland’s climate plan for meeting the goals set out in the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022. As MDE writes its plan, we strongly encourage MDE to adopt the recommendations submitted by Climate Partners.