Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Bill to be Heard Next Week
The Greenhouse Gas Reductions Act of 2009 (SB 278/HB 315) is a major issue for many Maryland Chamber members, particularly those in the transportation, utilities, manufacturing, retail and land use industries. Due to the broad range of industries that the Maryland Chamber represents, and the varying positions among its members regarding this bill, the Maryland Chamber will not take an official position at this time.
The Chamber will, however, submit a letter to key lawmakers expressing our viewpoint that this year’s bill is a huge improvement over similar legislation introduced in the past few years. The letter will also express some of the concerns expressed by members who would be impacted by the bill.
The legislation would require the State to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 2006 levels by 2020, with the 25 percent reduction goal up for revision in 2016. It would require the State to develop and adopt a specified plan, adopt specified regulations, and implement specified programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The bill exempts manufacturers from contributing to the required 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Maryland Chamber continues to view greenhouse gas regulation as an issue best accomplished at the federal level, but acknowledges the bill is a delicate issue for many members and encourages individuals to contact their legislators with their position. We will post a copy of the final letter at http://www.chamberactionnetwork.com later this week.
The hearing for bill will be held February 10, at 1 p.m. For more information about this legislation or the letter, please contact Vice President of Government Affairs Allyson Black at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Don’t mistake the Maryland Chamber’s “no position” on this bill as not warranting your attention. Much of our efforts will focus on the need to have this bill amended to allow a federal pre-emption so that if a bill does pass Congress, those requirements would override state law. That is critially important, considering this is a global issue, not just our small state.
Also, we applaud the fact that the bill is better than last year’s bill and that manufacturers are exempted in an effort to save those jobs. However, we remain very concerned about the mandates which are not outlined in the bill that could be imposed on all other business in Maryland.
Your opinion matters. Please use this website to talk to or email your legislators to let them know how you feel about the issue—and remember to urge them to add the federal pre-exemption clause.