A bill aimed at updating Maryland’s greenhouse gas emissions goals – including a pilot program to replace diesel school buses with electric buses and funds for programs to support climate solutions – passed into law in the closing days of the legislative session.
Gov. Larry Hogan allowed the Climate Solutions Now Act, SB528, which he opposed, to pass into law without his signature April 8. It includes provisions to update statewide goals for greenhouse gas emissions, reducing output by 60 percent by 2031. It will require large commercial and multifamily residential buildings to reduce emissions by 20 percent by 2030 and to reach net-zero emissions 10 years later. Previous state goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions were less stringent and over a longer term.
The final bill dropped provisions from earlier versions of the bill that would have required new school buildings to have net-zero emissions and mandated that restaurants reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Bob Simon, a member of the Archdiocesan Care for Creation Committee, said one of the most noteworthy aspects of the law is that it provides for programs and funding to help communities that will be disproportionately affected by climate change. Examples include communities that are more affected by pollutants than others, such as those with asthma, heart problems or low birth weight babies; high percentages of low-income, non-white or low English proficiency residents, or places that are affected by storm surges.
"The dual focus in the act on requirements that protect the global environment through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and funding and policies targeted to the needs of communities disproportionately affected by climate change, echoes Pope Francis's call that we be attentive to 'the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor,'" said Simon.
The pilot program for electric school buses would help implement the bill’s requirement for schools to move toward electric buses and for the government itself to begin shifting to a fleet of state-owned electric vehicles. It would have schools partnering with electric service providers to help cover the costs.
The law also will establish a “green bank” to finance projects that reduce emissions. Also, the law will create a program to train young people for careers in climate-related fields. It will provide prevailing wage protection, health care benefits and retirement benefits for workers employed by contractors or subcontractors on electric and gas utility projects that receive federal economic stimulus funds. The state will also be required to continue to use the “best available science” in addressing climate change, meaning standards could be quickly changed to account for changing science.
Four new state-level working groups will be created. Their tasks will include helping workers transition away from fossil fuels and studying improvements to energy infrastructure.
In addition, state agencies will be required to review their programs for how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to consider the effects of climate change, including due to storm surges and flooding, sea level rise, increased precipitation and temperature and extreme weather events.
The law’s fiscal effects for the state are difficult to determine, according to the legislative Fiscal and Policy Note for the bill. The note observes that the law will result in significant costs up front, but that substantial long-term energy savings may result for state and local governments and small businesses.
The analysis concluded that “known general fund expenditures increase by $9.5 million in FY 2023… by $12.4 million to $12.5 million in FY 2024 through 2026, and by $7.3 million in FY 2027.” Among expenditures outlined in the legislation are:
• $500,000 annually for the Maryland Healthy Soils Program;
• $1.5 million annually for the Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program to implement climate mitigation and clean energy projects;
• $5 million in each of the next two years for the Climate Catalytic Capital Fund, a new fund to promote “geographical impact remedies,” and support a wide range of activities such as encouraging “electrification of the transportation sector and the use of sustainable alternative fuels in aviation.”
A statement from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation praised the new law for making Maryland “among the leading states working to address the harmful greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels that are causing climate change. In Maryland, greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, power plants, and buildings are contributing to global climate change, which is causing stronger storms, sea level rise, and increased flooding that threaten communities. In the Chesapeake Bay, these symptoms of climate change are leading to additional pollution from increasing storm water runoff, higher water temperatures, and changes in wildlife distribution.”
The law will take effect June 1.
