Legislation to put Maryland on track for 100% renewable electricity by 2035 has the support of eight Democratic candidates running for governor.
The gubernatorial candidates who have signed the resolution to support the legislation in 2023 include former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, Comptroller Peter Franchot, former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, former Obama administration official Ashwani Jain, former U.S. Education Secretary John King, author and former Robin Hood Foundation CEO Wes Moore, former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez, and author and Bread and Roses party founder Jerome Segal.
The “MD Climate Justice Resolution” is sponsored by and was developed with input from Chesapeake Climate Action Network, CCAN Action Fund, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26, CASA, and the NAACP Maryland State Conference.
Maryland’s 3,000 miles of tidal shoreline makes the state vulnerable to sea-level rise from climate change, which investment in renewable electricity could help mitigate, according to the resolution.
The resolution adds that minority and low-income communities have borne the brunt of air and water pollution, including increased risk of cancer, neurological issues, and heart and respiratory illness due to extended exposure to toxic emissions.
“Marylanders deserve elected officials that are committed to taking bold action on climate while also investing in the Black, immigrant, and working-class communities that have suffered more than their fair share of hard,” said CASA Executive Director Gustavo Torres in a statement. “Climate justice means enacting solutions to our climate crisis that put frontline communities and workers first.”
The resolution includes a commitment to have Maryland reach 80% carbon-pollution-free electricity by 2030 and 100% by 2035, and to remove incentives for trash incineration facilities, like the BRESCO plant in Baltimore City.
Solving climate issues requires “bold action” now, said Staci Hartwell, chair of the Environmental and Climate Justice Committee of the NAACP Maryland State Conference.
“Mother Nature will not wait for us to ‘catch up,’” she said. “We must use every tool in our power (pun intended), to move to 100% electric, stat – it’s the only remedy.”
The resolution also advocates for legislation that would allocate at least 40% of all clean energy and climate investments and benefits to support historically disadvantaged communities in Maryland.
“We must address climate change while repairing harm suffered by overburdened and under-served black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and other working-class communities,” the resolution said.
The resolution is pushing to make public transit and green transportation alternatives more accessible, especially in underserved communities. It also seeks to help low-income neighborhoods transition to renewable energy sources and ensure residents see the economic benefits of those changes.
Advocates also want construction of renewable energy projects of 5 megawatts or larger to provide “good jobs with family-supporting wages, health care, retirement security,
and collective bargaining rights, including registered union apprenticeship opportunities.”
Don Slaiman, political coordinator for IBEW Local 26, said in a statement that his union believes “ a sustainable environment and sustainable careers are existential” to a future of building “a more just and equitable Maryland.”
“As we move away from fossil fuels and towards a carbon-pollution-free economy, we have an opportunity to create not only jobs addressing EV infrastructure, solar power, and LED conservation needs, but also an opportunity for workers to develop career skills,” Slaiman said.
More than 65 advocacy organizations and businesses have also signed on to the resolution.
Results of a Goucher College poll released in March showed a majority of Marylanders felt climate change was having a major impact on environmental conditions, such as sea-level rise, ecosystems and extreme weather.
Anthony Field, Maryland campaign coordinator for the CCAN Action Fund, said a recent 3,675-page report from the United Nations Environment Programme, as well as recent polling, “serve as a compelling reminder to candidates that Marylanders need a governor with the courage to lead and face these challenges head-on.”
During the most recent legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed sweeping climate change legislation to establish a goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions for the state by 2045, and to make the state’s vehicle fleet be emission-free.
The sponsors are working to collect signatures from candidates running for the Maryland General Assembly.
