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Happy New Year and welcome to the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session! The session opens tomorrow, Wednesday January 8th, and closes “Sine Die” (legalese for “indefinitely,” and Latin for “without day”) at midnight on April 7th.
This year’s session will be interesting.
I have heard that climate legislation this session will be about “energy, education and the budget,” due to the incoming Federal administration and the Maryland budget shortfall. We will see what transpires.
This year, like earlier years, there may be as many as two dozen climate and environmental bills introduced. “Why?” you may ask. The answer is that climate change is a very complicated problem and requires a multifaceted approach. There is not one solution, but an “all of the above” solution. Governor Moore has taken the “all of Government” approach to coordinate the various branches of government. Different Executive Departments report to different committees in the House and Senate. These committees are responsible for legislation appropriate to that Department. For example, Legislation pertaining to the Department of Labor and the Department of the Environment require more coordination between House and Senate Committees.
Each year, the Climate Change team selects several bills as “priority.” The bills are evaluated based on their climate effectiveness and climate justice impacts. In order to collect information about the bills, UULM-MD participates in three different coalitions. They are the Climate Justice Wing of the Maryland Legislative Coalition, the Citizens Concerned for the Environment (CCE), and the Transform Maryland Transportation coalition. These three coalitions emphasize different perspectives on climate change. They are climate justice, broader climate and environmental issues, and public transportation advocacy, respectively.
In addition, several “bills of interest” are selected to keep an eye on in the event that a priority bill fails to move forward.
For priority bills, the UULM-MD will submit written testimony, issue action alerts and join rallies in Annapolis. For the bills of interest, we will follow them, and sign-on to other Advocacy Organizations' testimony.
Priority Bills:
RatePayer Protection Act - This bill would reform the Strategic Infrastructure Development and Enhancement (STRIDE) Program, The 2013 STRIDE law allows the gas utilities to add a surcharge to customers' bills, serving as an incentive for the utility to replace old pipes. But, because it lacks guardrails, the law has led to excessive spending and rate increases.
The bill requires gas utilities to:
• Ensure spending is cost effective and consider non-pipeline alternatives;
• Prioritize safety and use modern leak detection technology;
• Use a “fix it first” approach to gas infrastructure when cost effective; and,
• Give customers 2 years notice, so they have time to plan, before the utilities work in their home.
Cumulative Harms to Environmental Restoration for Improving our Shared Health (CHERISH) Our Communities Act - Lack of oversight has allowed the aggregation of polluting industries and facilities in specific places allowing MD natural habitats and underserved populations to be overexposed to pollution.
This legislation will give the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) the authority to approve, alter, or deny a permit based on an Environmental Justice Score, and an assessment of other permits and the underlying sociodemographic characteristics of the community.
Climate and Transportation Alignment Act - Require the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) six year capital budget to comply with Maryland goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2031 and reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita by investing in more clean transportation options including public transit, walking, and biking. This bill does not require any specific project. However, it does require the DoT to follow the requirements in the Climate Solutions Now Act by investing in projects that reduce greenhouse gases in the transportation sector.
The bill passed the House, the Senate committees, and second reader on the Senate floor last year. An informal workgroup of bill sponsors, advocates, and MDOT are discussing changes to the bill for the upcoming legislative session.
Bills of Interest:
Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act - A $900M per year fee on 40 historical carbon polluters to pay for climate mitigation and adaptation. This bill would assess a fee of $1B per year for 9 years from the top 40 worldwide sources of greenhouse gases.
Access to Abundant Clean Energy (AACE) Act - This bill focuses on increasing the sources of clean energy in Maryland. It covers batteries, solar, offshore wind, land-based wind, hydro, nuclear, and Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Reform. This is a very technical and “wonky” bill.
Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program (a.k.a. Maryland Bottle Bill) - Establishes a returnable beverage program in Maryland, covering plastic, glass and metal containers. Customers would be charged a fee for each container purchased which would be refunded upon return. This would result in a reduction in litter and disposal of containers in landfills, increased recycling rates, and would be self-supporting.
The Better Buildings Act - This was originally a component of the Climate Solutions Now Act which was pulled out at the last minute. The bill would require all new homes and buildings in the state to be built to produce zero scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2025 session will be very dynamic so please stay tuned and watch for email “action alerts” from UULM-MD. Effective advocacy for the climate often requires quick turn around, often on very short notice, of the alerts. It is also important that you share these action alerts with other UU members of your congregation who may not be UULM-MD members. And consider sharing them with people in your network, be they UUs or not!
I am looking forward to a hectic and (hopefully) rewarding 2025 Maryland General Assembly legislative session.
In faith,
Phil Webster
Lead Advocate for the Climate
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