Under an executive order signed by Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday, Maryland state agencies will be required to submit plans to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The governor said at a news conference in Baltimore that the plan requires all state agencies to submit reports to him by November 1 outlining how they will help the state achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 60% below 2006 levels by 2031. The reports must include steps and timelines for implementing all necessary measures within each agency’s jurisdiction, but the governor’s office did not say what those measures would be.
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“These proposals have to come from every state agency because every state agency has a role to play and there are accountability measures that we need to meet,” Moore, a Democrat, said before signing the order at Henderson Hopkins School in Baltimore.
Maryland Secretary of the Environment Selena McIlwain highlights $90 million that Governor Wes Moore’s administration will allocate to help the state reach its ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals during a press conference in Annapolis, Maryland, Feb. 16, 2024. Maryland state agencies are required to submit plans to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions under an executive order signed by Governor Moore on Tuesday, June 4. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File)
The Moore administration also aims to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2045, which means that at least as much carbon is removed from the atmosphere as is being emitted.
The order, signed Tuesday, directs the Maryland Department of Environment to propose new policies to reduce emissions from buildings, a provision that has been praised by environmentalists.
“To meet its climate goals, Maryland must address fossil fuel use in buildings, which accounts for 13 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions,” Ann Haveman, general counsel for the nonprofit Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said in a statement. “We are proud that Governor Moore has taken a major step toward this goal through today’s executive order. This order sends a message to manufacturers, retailers and installers to gradually reduce climate pollution from buildings and prepare for increased demand for clean technologies like heat pumps.”
The governor said the Maryland Department of Environment will be the “center of gravity” of the state’s climate change efforts. The order also creates a new Cabinet on Climate Change, to be led by Department of Environment Director Selena McIlwain.
The subcabinet is required to report on Maryland’s progress by Dec. 1, and annually thereafter.
“Together we’re creating a clean environment and a strong economy, and I’m confident we can get it done because all of us here today are committed and we’re committed to seeing it through,” McIlwain said.
The order also states the state’s efforts will include a focus on environmental justice.
“Let’s be clear: climate justice, if done right, is economic justice, and we’re going to develop policies that actually reflect that thinking,” Moore said.
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Kim Coble, co-chair of the Maryland Climate Change Commission, praised the governor for taking comprehensive steps toward reaching the state’s goal.
“The Governor is calling for plans, preparations and actions from his administration and all state agencies,” Coble said. “And just as importantly, this executive order establishes the first-ever Deputy Cabinet for Climate Change, which will produce annual reports on state agencies’ implementation of these actions and create a system of accountability for these actions.”
