Maryland Going Green: Cutting Greenhouse Gasses Part of Plan

By Amber Woods

Gov. Martin O’Malley’s announcement this week of a comprehensive plan for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in Maryland is part of a campaign that began in 2009.

The announcement came Thursday at a climate change summit at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum.

It was in 2009 that O’Malley signed the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act.

Maryland is required by law to reduce its energy usage 15 percent by 2015 and gas emissions 25 percent by 2020. O’Malley expects his plan will create 37,000 jobs in the state and create $1.6 billion in economic benefits.  

On Thursday, O’Malley said the state’s existing program would be strengthened to allow Maryland to exceed the 15 percent requirement for energy reduction. The goal under the plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 million metric tons by 2020. 

Earlier this year, the General Assembly approved a bill that would allow for the construction of electricity-generating windmills off the coast of Ocean City, an initiative that will take years to develop, according to the Associated Press.

It would also increase monthly electricity bills for ratepayers by an estimated $1.50 a month, once wind turbines generate energy. 

Some other initiatives in the greenhouse gas reduction plan include:

• Raising the state's renewable energy goals so that Maryland gets 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
• Reforming the state's "EmPOWER" program to give Maryland one of the most efficient energy sectors in the country.
• Reusing, recycling, composting and saving our way to Zero Waste, including an 85 percent reduction in generation of solid waste by 2030.
• Strengthening the nation's first mandatory cap-and-trade program, the regional greenhouse gas initiative (RGGI), to lower the cap on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by 2.5 percent annually starting in 2015.
• Recognizing that hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" for gas is a significant greenhouse gas emitter, and emphasizing a transition toward truly clean sources of energy instead.
• Investing in Maryland's green economy now to encourage smarter investments and support more sustainable economic growth for generations to come.

O’Malley’s plan will have to be voted on in 2015, and lawmakers will then decide if the state should continue moving forward or if a different plan should be developed.

The plan in its entirety encompasses more than150 programs and initiatives to achieve O’Malley’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goal.