Zack Gerdes, courtesy of Sierra Club Maryland Chapter
On February 1, around 90 activists gathered outside the Maryland State House in Annapolis in support of the 100% Clean Renewable Energy and Equity Act of 2018 (HB 878), which would require all of Maryland’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2035. At this writing HB 878 has 48 co-sponsors in the 141-member House of Delegates.
The rally and press conference were organized by a broad coalition including the Sierra Club's Maryland Chapter, Food and Water Watch Maryland, and 100% Renewable Maryland (full list at bottom of post). That's Maryland Sierra Club director Josh Tulkin, above, at the rally. "This bill not only provides a pathway to 100 percent clean energy in Maryland by 2035," he said, "but it pays particular attention to low-income families by capping their energy expenses at an affordable level."
State Delegate Shane Robinson (below at center, with red tie), the lead sponsor of the bill, has aggressively pushed for a 100 percent renewable energy mandate and proposed ratepayer subsidies for wind and solar, but not for fossil fuel sources. “Our goal is full reliance on renewable energy, so why ask for less?” he told the crowd, which responded with chants of “Clean Energy Now!” and “Windmills, Not Oil Drills.”
Fellow legislators Jheanelle Wilkins (below), Eric Luedtke, and Karen Young also spoke in support of the bill. “The threat of climate change is here and it is real, but we can do something about it,” Wilkins said. “This bill is one of the most robust pieces of climate change legislation ever introduced in our state. We must pass this bill because it stands up for equity by capping at six percent the household energy bill for low-income families."
"This is not a Republican or a Democratic idea," said Aravinda Pillalamarri (below) of Harford County Climate Action. “Climate change affects all of us. Sea levels will rise in Florida and Maryland; bigger and stronger hurricanes will happen in Texas and New Jersey; longer droughts will hurt California and Montana. We can do better. We must do better. We’re here to demand that our legislators support a fossil-free Maryland. Given the challenge it may seem that we are but drops in the ocean. But we are the mighty ocean in every drop.”
Pillalamarri made headlines recently when she was stopped by police, questioned about her immigration status, and asked for identification while walking her dog in the Bel Air neighborhood of Baltimore, where she lives. When she asked why she was being questioned, the officer explained that someone had seen her and called the police. Pillalamarri, a U.S. citizen, attended Bel Air High School and has lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years.
Also hosting the February 1 rally and press conference were the Business Network for Offshore Wind, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, We Are Cove Point, HoCo Climate Action, and Harford County Climate Action.