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It is becoming more and more clear: immediate
action is needed to curb global
warming. Scientists agree that global
warming is already leading to rising sea
levels, more intense storm activity, stronger
extremes in temperature fl uctuations,
disruption in habitat and agriculture, and
other problems. How much worse these
problems get depends on how early we
take action to adopt solutions.
This year, Maryland took its fi rst signifi -
cant step toward addressing the problem
of global warming when the General
Assembly passed the Healthy Air Act.
Among other objectives, this legislation
requires the state to become a member of
the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
(RGGI), an agreement among Northeast
and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce global
warming emissions from power plants.
After working on this legislation for four
years, staff at Environment Maryland were
highly pleased to see its passage—but the
work has really only just begun.
Following through on power plants
The Maryland Department of the Environment
(MDE) is now required to issue
pollution permits for carbon dioxide
emissions. In the process, they need to
decide whether to charge power companies
for all of their pollution permits or
to give most of them away for free. RGGI
requires them to charge for at least 25
percent of the permits.
Charging power companies for their
permits will create funding for energy effi
ciency and renewable energy programs.
These sorely needed programs will allow
us to be less dependent on the dirtiest
sources of power, thus reducing the overall
amount of global warming pollution that
comes from generating electricity. This
will also lower electric bills—doubling
spending on energy effi ciency will save
the average household $100 per year.
MDE also has to negotiate the amount
of carbon dioxide reduction that will be
required by Maryland’s participation in
RGGI. If the details are poorly structured,
the state will not realize the full benefi ts
of the program. Power companies are
pressing for rules that would minimize the
amount they are actually required to do.
Environment Maryland Research &
Policy Center is actively engaged in
the process of Maryland’s entrance into
RGGI, meeting regularly with MDE and
other agencies and participating in research
to measure the impacts of the program.
Clean cars
At the same time that we’re making sure
the power plants legislation is implemented
effectively, Environment Maryland
Research & Policy Center and our allies
are turning our attention toward global
warming pollution from cars and trucks.
One of the biggest steps we can take
toward addressing global warming is to
make better cars. Ten other states have already
adopted stricter standards for global
warming pollution from cars and trucks.
Maryland should join this group.
The Clean Cars Act would require major
auto manufacturers to make and marketcars with reduced global warming emissions.
Cleaner cars would be more widely
available on Maryland new car lots if this
bill passes, and the manufacturers would
be required to structure their sales incentives
to ensure they sell as many clean cars
as conventional ones.
Requiring car companies to manufacture
and market cleaner cars is an effective
and economical approach to reducing air
pollution. The cost to the state of setting
higher standards is minimal, while the
program would result in great reductions
in air pollution. Experience has shown
that car companies are not likely to offer
adequate numbers of cleaner cars unless
they are required to, despite consumer
demand and profi tability.
Environment Maryland Research &
Policy Center is preparing two research
reports on the benefi ts of requiring cleaner
cars, and has called on the Ehrlich administration
to begin the process of adopting
an agency rule to implement the policy.
Federal global warming bills
Congress has finally begun debating the
issue of curbing global warming pollution,
after decades of refusal to even discuss
the issue.
A Senate resolution passed last year that
put the U.S. Senate on record saying it
supports mandatory reductions in carbon
dioxide emissions. Moving that from a
resolution to an actual plan will take a lot
of work, but efforts are underway.
Rep. Henry Waxman introduced the
Safe Climate Act in the House in June,
and Sen. Jim Jeffords followed with the
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Act in July.
Environment Maryland’s D.C. office
helped get these initiatives off the ground.
The bills would require that U.S. emissions
return to 1990 levels by 2020 and
are reduced to 80 percent below 1990
levels by 2050. This gives us 15 years to
deploy the cleaner technologies that we
already have but are not using much, such
as hybrid vehicles and wind power. After
2020, the bills would drive implementation
of more advanced technologies, such
as zero-energy buildings and biofuels from
waste materials.
Among the Maryland congressional
delegation, Sen. Sarbanes is a co-sponsor
of the Senate bill and Reps. Cardin,
Cummings, Van Hollen and Wynn are
co-sponsors of the House bill.
Sources of CO2 emissions in Maryland
More than half of Maryland’s carbon dioxide emissions come from power plants and light trucks.
The Healthy Air Act and the Clean Cars Act will take big strides toward addressing our
contribution to global warming.
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