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	Home > Legislative Action Updates Legislative Action Updates Global Warming Solutions Act This legislation would require Maryland to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 25% below 2006 levels by 2020 and 90% by 2050. It creates timelines for state agencies to design cost-effective programs to meet the emission limits. It creates a cap and trade system. Global Warming Solutions Action Alert 3/13/2008 Action: Please call your State Senator right now! Leave a message if it’s after hours. Find your senators: http://mdelect.net/electedofficials/ Message: Hello. I would like to leave a message for Senator ____. My name is __ and I am a constituent from ________. I am deeply concerned about global warming and I am calling to urge you to vote in favor of the Global Warming Solutions Act (SB 309) Please vote against the three weakening amendments recently proposed. This bill will be good for Maryland's climate, economy, and future. Background: http://www.environmentmaryland.org/ Good News: Last Friday SB 309 passed out of Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee so on Friday March 14th the MD Senate floor may vote on whether Maryland will become a national leader in fighting for global warming solutions. Bad News: Tuesday March 11th, the opposition asked for changes to the bill to weaken pollution reduction targets and implementation. Three bad amendments: Turns the 2020 cap of 25% reductions of global warming pollution into a soft target. This negates the point of the bill: to set goals for reductions of global warming pollutions, make plans to achieve them, and then implement them as quickly as possible. Requires Maryland Department of the Environment to seek legislative approval for any action required by this bill. This would drastically delay implementation of the global warming solutions in this bill. Allows any federal policy to preempt our state law. Maryland has frequently been a leader and passed stronger laws then the Federal Government. We should not have the federal laws as a ceiling. More information about the the global warming solutions act status in Annapolis http://mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/billfile/SB0309.htm see if your senator is a cosponsor so you can thank them while you ask them to oppose amendments ====================================== Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Bill Helps create SAFE LNG Facilities in Prince George's County. Action: Call and write your legislators in Annapolis Find your legislators: http://mdelect.net/electedofficials/ Message: Dear Representative, 1000s of people live near the West Hyattsville Metro station where Washington Natural Gas has proposed to build a Liquid Natural Gas industrial processing and storage facility. Please support Prince George's County citizens and local government to determine where such a facility could be located. Please support Senate Bill 993 with Del. Jolene Ivey's amendments to prevent the Public Service Commission from approving any liquified natural gas (LNG) facility proposed to be built in a location inside an Acceptable Separation Distance--as calculated by the Blast Overpressure Safety Standard under 24 CFR 51.203--from a building or other place in which individuals work, live, or congregate, including a school, daycare center, nursing home, senior citizen building, metro station, shopping venter, recreational facility, or other residential subdivision in Prince George's County. No industrial LNG facilities should be built in a location that is inconsistent with the zoning ordinances of Prince George's County under Article 28, § 8-101 of the Code. Thank you! More Information ====================================== GreenFund: HB1220 Energy Efficiency: Mary PIRG Alert SB205 HB374 EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act of 2008 SB268 HB374 and Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative - Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Program would require Maryland to reduce its per capita energy use 15 percent by 2015. Electric utilities would be responsible for all reductions not accomplished by the public fund. Letters to the Editor are needed as energy articles appear in local papers. Please create and send them in! ====================================== ICC Bills: HB 1471: Bill to Eliminate Funding for the ICC Smart Transportation Hearings & Lobby Nights Come join us in Annapolis to stop the ICC and promote sustainable transportation! Upcoming Hearing: Attend if you can, wear green Wednesday, March 19 1 pm, Lowe House Office Building, 2nd Floor, Environmental Matters Committee Room House Bill 1595 - Halts Work on the ICC and Requires the State to Asses Its Impacts on Public Health Smart Transportation Lobby Nights Mondays in Annapolis. When: Monday evenings 5 o’ clock briefing 5:45-8 lobbying Where: March 17th location Public Lounge on the ground floor of the House of Delegates building, 6 Bladen St. Annapolis, MD We meet for a briefing and updates on the ICC bills and then break into groups to meet with our legislators to ask for their support to stop the ICC. Never met with your legislators before? No problem, come learn and have a good time! Please RSVP to Alana at 301-277-7111 or Alana.wase@mdsierra.org so that meetings can be set-up ahead of time to meet with your representatives. Can’t make it right at 5? No problem, just let us know and we’ll be sure to schedule an appointment with your legislator for later in the evening! Back ground: The ICC would increase traffic and congestion on I-270 and I-95 and the 495 DC Beltway. It would drain transportation money statewide from transit and maintaining existing roads. It would shift the economic development, growth of jobs and homes regionally to Montgomery and Frederick Counties from Baltimore City and inner Prince George's County. It would cut through residential communities, 80 meters from a school. 30,000 people would be 500 meters from this new 6-8 lane highway carrying 100,000 vehicles per day, exposed to gasoline and diesel particulates, ozone, smog, and carcinogenic chemicals.The ICC would increase auto use and increase greenhouse gas emissions. Who can stop it? You can! Call, write, and visit legislators with us in Annapolis. Resources: http://savecommunities.org/ http://maryland.sierraclub.org/ www.audubonnaturalist.org See www.mdelect.net to find contact information for elected officials. ====================================== Critical Areas: SB844 and HB1253 This is the first and last line of defense of the Bay. Because of loopholes in the original bill the Bay faces death by 1000 cuts. This legislation would make sure the intent of the original law is carried out. It gives the Commission regulatory authority for state-wide consistency, fairness and standards. It updates basic requirements such as maps. The bill asks for higher standards such as a 300’ no build setback in place of the 100’. As in the Storm Water Management law, the state would set the floor on standards and the local jurisdictions are then free to set higher standards. There are more restrictions on grandfathering and an increase in fines.
Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund (Green Fund) (SB 213/ HB 369) Environmental Challenge: During the Special Legislative Session of 2007, Maryland created a dedicated funding source – the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund – to clean up Maryland’s waters and the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund replaced previous proposals for a “Green Fund” and relies on existing tax revenues. The legislature authorized $50 million annually for clean water programs but did not detail how the monies were to be allocated. While $50 million is significant, there must be appropriate oversight and the funds must be targeted and leveraged in order to achieve the greatest nutrient reductions and water quality improvements.
Read more... ====================================== Lead Paint Bill Lead Paint: Serious problem statewide in all buildings constructed prior to 1978. This bill would require the industry in Maryland (6 companies) to take responsibility for the damage. It would bring in revenue to pay for the costs of lead paint removal and the health costs much of which the state now pays. There are excellent handouts on the issue. Bill number later.