Current:Home > BackMaryland agencies must submit a plan to help fight climate change, governor says-InfoLens
Maryland agencies must submit a plan to help fight climate change, governor says
View Date:2024-12-23 18:51:41
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — State agencies in Maryland will be required to submit a plan to help address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, under an executive order signed by Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday.
The plan calls for all state agencies to submit an annual report showing how they will help the state meet its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2031 to 60% of 2006 levels, the governor said at a news conference in Baltimore.
“These proposals must be submitted by every single state agency, because every single state agency is going to have a role to play and is going to have accountability measures that we must meet,” Moore, a Democrat, said before signing the order at the Henderson-Hopkins School in Baltimore.
The Moore administration also aims to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035 and reach net-zero emissions by 2045. That means at least as much carbon would be removed from the atmosphere as what is being emitted.
The order signed Tuesday also directs the Maryland Department of the Environment to propose new polices to reduce emissions from buildings, a provision applauded by environmental advocates.
“To meet its climate goals, Maryland must tackle fossil fuel use in buildings, which represents 13% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions,” Anne Havemann, general counsel for the nonprofit organization Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said in a statement. “We’re proud to see Governor Moore take a massive step toward this goal through today’s executive order, which will gradually reduce this climate pollution from buildings and send a signal to manufacturers, retailers, and installers to prepare for an increased demand in clean technologies such as heat pumps.”
The governor said the Maryland Department of the Environment will be the “nerve center” for the state’s approach to climate change. The order also creates a new subcabinet on climate change, which will be led by the department’s chief, Serena McIlwain.
“We are creating a clean environment and a strong economy together, and I know that we can all do it because all of us who are here today are dedicated, and we’re all going to see it through,” McIlwain said.
The order also notes that the state’s efforts will include a focus on environmental justice.
“To be clear, climate justice is economic justice, if you’re doing it right, and we are going to craft policies that actually reflects that mindset,” Moore said.
Kim Coble, co-chair of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, praised the governor for taking a comprehensive step toward reaching the state’s goals.
“The governor is calling on his administration and every state agency to plan and measure and act,” Coble said. “And, equally important, the executive order creates an accountability system for those actions by creating the first-ever climate subcabinet, and an annual report on implementation of those actions by the state agencies.”
veryGood! (64)
Related
- Francesca Farago Details Health Complications That Led to Emergency C-Section of Twins
- California law restricting companies’ use of information from kids online is halted by federal judge
- 'Missing' kayaker faked Louisiana drowning death to avoid child-sex charges, police say
- Inside the delicate art of maintaining America’s aging nuclear weapons
- Mike Tyson employs two trainers who 'work like a dream team' as Jake Paul fight nears
- Amazon delivery driver in 'serious' condition after rattlesnake attack in Florida
- Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner Step Out for a Perfectly Fine Night in New York City
- The video game industry is in uproar over a software pricing change. Here's why
- Diamond Sports Group will offer single-game pricing to stream NBA and NHL games starting next month
- Taco Bell employee accused of using customer credit cards to make fraudulent purchases
Ranking
- Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline, shrugging off Wall Street’s overnight rally
- Browns star Nick Chubb to undergo surgery on season-ending knee injury; Kareem Hunt in for visit
- Man who allegedly tried to hit people with truck charged with attempted murder
- NFL power rankings Week 3: Saints, Steelers tick up after 'Monday Night Football' wins
- Birth control and abortion pill requests have surged since Trump won the election
- Journalist detained, home searched over reporting on French state defense secrets, news outlet says
- Lahaina's 150-year-old banyan tree that was charred by the wildfires is showing signs of new life
- Ryan Seacrest Shares Pat Sajak and Vanna White’s Advice for Hosting Wheel of Fortune
Recommendation
-
Ready-to-eat meat, poultry recalled over listeria risk: See list of affected products
-
House Oversight Committee to hold first hearing of impeachment inquiry into President Biden on Sept. 28
-
Phil Mickelson admits he 'crossed the line' in becoming a gambling addict
-
Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh agrees to plead guilty to nearly two dozen federal crimes
-
What to know about Mississippi Valley State football player Ryan Quinney, who died Friday
-
A look at Canada’s relationship with India, by the numbers
-
Amazon plans to hire 250,000 workers for holiday season. Target says it will add nearly 100,000
-
What will Federal Reserve do next? Any hint of future rate hikes will be key focus of latest meeting