Maryland House Advances Bipartisan Bill to Require ‘Bomb Train’ Risk Study

Advocates applaud vote as a first step toward transparency, say much more is needed to protect public safety from the growing threat of crude oil trains

ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland House of Delegates voted 123 to 14 today to advance legislation (HB 1073) that would require state study of the risks of crude oil train accidents in Maryland. The bill, sponsored by Delegate Clarence Lam, also requires disclosure of the volume of crude oil being transported by trains in the state.
Since February, four crude oil trains have derailed and exploded across the U.S. and Canada, destroying one home, forcing evacuations, and causing fires that burned for days. Today’s vote comes as the oil industry targets the port of Baltimore as a new throughway for shipping highly flammable oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota to East Coast refineries.
“This bill is an important first step toward understanding the risks that so-called ‘bomb trains’ pose to the health and safety of Marylanders. We applaud Delegate Lam for his leadership, and the House of Delegate for voting overwhelmingly to pass this bill. It is time now for the Senate to follow suit,” said Jon Kenney, Maryland Community Organizer for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
“At the same time, further action is needed,” continued Kenney. “Communities are still left in the dark when it comes to basic information. For instance, since the amended bill does not require companies to disclose where these oil trains are traveling, communities have no way of knowing if trains are running through their neighborhoods.”
In Baltimore, Texas-based Targa Resources is currently seeking approval to establish a crude oil shipping facility in the community of Curtis Bay. This plan would create a market for sending millions of gallons of crude oil daily on rail lines through Baltimore, bringing serious safety risks to South Baltimore and the city as a whole.
“In Baltimore, action must be taken on the city level. The City Council must require a full Health Impact Assessment (HIA) before crude oil trains are running through the center of the city on their way to Curtis Bay, and should make that study available to the public,” added Kenney. “This study would give communities that live near rail lines the opportunity to understand how to handle an emergency evacuation should a derailment and disaster occur.”
“If only one car was to derail and explode, at minimum a half-mile evacuation radius would be necessary to prevent loss of life, while simultaneously spilling toxic crude oil into our waterways and the Inner Harbor, causing potentially irreversible damage to our drinking water, economy and ecosystem,” said Will Fadely, Baltimore Program Organizer for Clean Water Action. “Is Baltimore really ready for such a devastating possibility?”
To date, Maryland remains one of the last states in the country that has not yet disclosed crude oil train routes. Meanwhile, rail companies CSX and Norfolk Southern are in the middle of a controversial lawsuit to prevent the state of Maryland from disclosing the amounts and routes of Bakken crude travelling throughout the state.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, a minimum of a half-mile evacuation radius would be necessary should one train car carrying explosive crude oil derail from the tracks.
Read a fact sheet about the threat of Crude by Rail through Baltimore here:
http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CCAN-Baltimore-Crude-Factsheet-1.pdf
Contact:
Jon Kenney, 301-385-4187, jon@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Maryland House Passes Three-Year Fracking Moratorium

CCAN applauds resounding 93-45 House vote, calls on senators to act swiftly in turn

ANNAPOLIS—Today the Maryland House of Delegates voted 93 to 45 to pass a three-year fracking moratorium—a resounding 2-to-1 margin that included bipartisan support. The bill, the Protect Our Health and Communities Act (HB 449), now moves on to the Senate.
Shilpa Joshi, Maryland Campaign Coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, had the following statement in response:
“The House made the right choice today to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the natural resources that are the foundation of so many Maryland livelihoods. As more than 100 Western Maryland businesses, more than 100 Maryland health professionals, and thousands of individual citizens have warned, we have a whole lot to lose and little to gain by opening our state to dangerous fracking.
“Senators should now act swiftly in passing this three-year moratorium. Polling shows that Marylanders want this moratorium, and the emerging science shows that this is the only way to safeguard our health.”
Click here to read the full statement from the “Don’t Frack Maryland” coalition. See the excerpt recapping the widespread grassroots support for the moratorium:

Business owners in Western Maryland have expressed growing concern that fracking will negatively affect the booming tourism industry in that part of the state, where fracking would occur in the Marcellus Shale. Over 100 Western Maryland business owners have signed a letter to the leadership of the General Assembly in support of the fracking moratorium. The Don’t Frack Maryland campaign has also sent over 25,000 messages supporting a moratorium. Letters signed by more than 100 health professionals, and over 50 restaurant owners, chefs, winemakers and farmers from across the state have also been delivered to the General Assembly. And last night, the Friendsville Town Council, whose city is the center of a thriving white-water rafting industry in the state, sent a letter supporting a moratorium to President Miller, urging him to encourage a vote in the Senate.

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Maryland House Committee Advances Fracking Moratorium Bill

Bill would put a three-year hold on permits for high-risk drilling practice

ANNAPOLIS—Legislation that would institute a moratorium on fracking advanced today in the General Assembly, with the House Environment and Transportation Committee voting 16 to 6 to pass the Protect Our Health and Communities Act (HB 449) on to the House floor. As amended ahead of the committee vote, the bill will place a three-year hold on the issuance of drilling permits in Maryland.

Today’s vote followed an outpouring of grassroots and business support for the bill in recent weeks, along with polls showing a clear majority of Marylanders oppose fracking and want the General Assembly to take action to prevent drilling in the state.
Health professionals, Western Maryland landowners and environmental advocates applauded delegates in the House committee, including bill sponsor Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo, for taking a critical first step today to prevent potentially irreversible harm to the state’s air and water and local tourism and agricultural economies:
“This is a vital step forward in protecting the health of Maryland residents. Given that health research is just emerging on this new extractive technology, and what we are seeing thus far is deeply concerning, today’s vote acknowledges the need for more time to assess impacts in neighboring states,” said Gina Angiola, MD and Board Member of Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility. “There would be little to gain and much to lose by allowing fracking to begin in Maryland at this time. We call on the full General Assembly to pass this legislation expeditiously and on the Governor to sign it.”
“It’s extremely gratifying that so many people and their representatives recognize the importance of uniting Mountain Maryland with those who surround the Chesapeake Bay. Today’s vote is a critical step toward protecting the clean air, pure water, and thriving small businesses that attract visitors and allow us to make a living in Appalachian Maryland,” said Paul Roberts of Citizen Shale and owner of Deep Creek Vineyards. “It’s essential that the General Assembly pass a fracking moratorium, and do it this year, to secure our local tourism economy and heritage.”
“Today’s vote responds to mounting evidence that fracking is dangerous to our health, and mounting public opposition to putting Marylanders in harm’s way of the gas industry. We applaud Delegate Fraser-Hidalgo, Chairman Barve, and committee delegates for their leadership, and we look forward to passing this bill out of the House and the Senate and onto the governor’s desk,” said Shilpa Joshi, Maryland campaign coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Shilpa Joshi, 503-998-8630, shilpa@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Don’t Frack Maryland brings together a diverse group of public interest organizations, businesses, and faith groups from across Maryland and the United States. For more information on the statewide campaign for a moratorium on fracking in Maryland: http://www.dontfrackmd.org

Maryland Farmers, Brewers, and Restaurateurs Call on the General Assembly to Pass a Fracking Moratorium

Over 50 food professionals warn lawmakers: ‘clean water and healthy soil’ is vital to business

ANNAPOLIS—Warning that clean water and healthy soil are vital to their economic success, 56 Maryland food business owners and professionals are delivering a letter to the General Assembly today urging lawmakers to pass a moratorium on fracking in the state.
“Our livelihoods depend on pure water, healthy soil, and clean air and would be irreversibly damaged by hydraulic fracturing,” the letter states on behalf of farmers, chefs, restaurant owners, brewers, winemakers, cheesemakers, retailers, cidermakers, and more.
“Agriculture, fishing, restaurants, tourism, and food and beverage production make up a vital economic network in our state, and we rely on clean water and healthy soil to cultivate our local bounty and succeed in our business … Be our leader and pass the Protect Our Health and Communities Act (SB 409/HB 449) for the state of Maryland,” the letter concludes.
The Protect Our Health and Communities Act, which would put a long-term hold on fracking permits in Maryland, is currently awaiting action by House and Senate committees following recent bill hearings.
The food professionals signing today’s letter join more than 100 Western Maryland business owners who appealed to lawmakers last week to pass the moratorium bill. That letter warned that the highly industrial, polluting process of fracking could have “sudden and dramatic” negative impacts on the tourism-dependent economy of Mountain Maryland.
Businesses represented on today’s letter span the state, from FireFly Farms in Garrett County to Distillery Lane Ciderworks near Frederick to Hawks Hill Creamery in Harford County to Baltimore’s Woodberry Kitchen.
“Fracking near any Maryland farm or vineyard will compromise the safety of both the crop and the grower,” said Nadine Grabania, co-owner of Deep Creek Cellars Winery in Friendsville. “Many have heard by now the well-known risks to air, water and public health associated with fracking. But fracking will also harm our food and our lungs with road dust and diesel particulates as quiet country roads are turned into industrial traffic jams near Maryland farms. We’re proud to stand with fellow Maryland food growers and professionals to ask for a moratorium on fracking until we know for sure that this heavy industrial activity will not harm our health, our local food, and our thriving farm-to-table economy.”
“From the oysters in the Chesapeake to our bountiful farms, Maryland has long been known for its natural abundance,” said Spike Gjerde, founder of Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore. “The purity of our food and farmland is unparalleled, and we have a strong community of local growers and food artisans dedicated to protecting our rich agricultural heritage from fracking.”
Fracking is a controversial natural gas drilling method that involves blasting millions of gallons of water, sand and toxic chemicals underground at extreme pressure to break up rock and release the gas. Maryland’s new governor, Larry Hogan, has said he wants to move forward with drilling—despite the growing evidence of its harm and the most recent polling, which shows a clear majority of Marylanders oppose the practice.
Last week, the “Don’t Frack Maryland” coalition, which includes more than 100 public interest organizations, businesses, health professionals and faith groups, delivered over 20,000 messages to lawmakers from residents across the state calling for a moratorium.
View the full text of the letter and all 56 signers at: http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MD-Farmers-Food-Professionals-Fracking-Moratorium-Letter.pdf
Contact:
Shilpa Joshi, 240-396-2029, shilpa@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Poll: Strong Majority of Marylanders Oppose Proposed Exelon Takeover of Pepco

Strong voter opposition aligns with Maryland Energy Administration, state attorney general, and Office of People’s Counsel


BALTIMORE
—As Maryland utility regulators near a decision on the proposed merger between Exelon and Pepco Holdings, Inc, new poll
results
show that a strong majority of Maryland voters—61 percent—oppose the deal.
The poll, conducted by the public interest research firm OpinionWorks, found that:

  • Sixty-one percent of state voters oppose the merger, with only 22% expressing support and 17% unsure.
  • Opposition is bipartisan, with 63% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans polled stating opposition.
  • Notably, public opposition was strongest—with 73% opposed—in Baltimore City, where Exelon previously merged with BGE in 2012. City ratepayers have seen four rate hikes in three years since Exelon’s takeover.

“We now know that this merger is not only a bad deal for Marylanders, but a highly unpopular one as well,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Maryland voters do not want an Exelon monopoly in our state, and rightly so. This deal would harm ratepayers and harm our future ability to generate local, renewable energy. The Public Service Commission should reject it.”
The proposed merger, which would give Chicago-based Exelon control over 85 percent of Maryland ratepayers, is facing strong headwinds in the state. Last week, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and the Maryland Energy Administration filed a brief with the Public Service Commission (PSC) affirming the state’s outright opposition.
“The merger enjoys no support from the state or numerous affected stakeholders,” wrote Frosh and the Maryland Energy Administration. “This is not surprising. … There is nothing in this nearly $7 billion transaction that is of tangible benefit to customers or Maryland’s economy. Worse, the transaction poses significant potential harms.
The deal is also strongly opposed by the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel, as well as consumer and clean energy advocates. Opponents contest that Exelon is seeking to shore up its own shaky financial footing—as the nation’s largest owner of aging and increasingly expensive nuclear reactors—by taking over Pepco. The company also has a long track record of opposing clean energy policies at the federal and state levels, including legislation in Maryland to spur rooftop solar and local, distributed renewable energy.
The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) is charged with determining whether or not the proposed Exelon-Pepco merger is in the “public interest.” The PSC must rule on the merger by April 8, 2015.
The OpinionWorks poll, commissioned by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, surveyed 594 randomly-selected Maryland registered voters between February 26, 2015 – March 8, 2015 and carries a margin of sampling error no greater than ±4.0%.
RESOURCES:

CONTACT:
Mike Tidwell, 240-460-5838, mtidwell@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the biggest and oldest grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. We’re building a powerful movement to shift our region away from climate-harming fossil fuels and to clean energy solutions.

 

Fracking Poll: Strong Majority of Marylanders Want the General Assembly to Put a Long-Term Hold on Risky Drilling

On eve of Senate hearing, polling shows sixty-eight percent of state voters support either a legislative moratorium or a ban on fracking

ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Poll results released today show that a strong and bipartisan majority of Maryland voters—more than two-thirds—believe that the General Assembly should pass legislation to put a long-term hold on the practice of fracking for natural gas in Maryland. Advocates pointed to the poll as further evidence that 2015 fracking moratorium legislation, which is slated for a Senate hearing tomorrow afternoon, reflects the will of state voters.
In recent weeks, Washington Post and Goucher polls have also showed that a majority of Marylanders oppose fracking and are worried about major risks it would pose to water resources. The poll released today differed by specifically asking Maryland voters how they believe the state legislature should act on fracking.
The results of the poll, conducted by the nonpartisan firm OpinionWorks, show that:

  • Support for action is strong: Sixty-eight percent of Maryland voters believe the General Assembly should put either a long-term moratorium (43%) or an outright ban (25%) on fracking.
  • Support for action is bipartisan: A majority of Republican voters polled—56 percent—support a long-term moratorium or ban, alongside nearly three-quarters of Democrats.
  • Marylanders want the General Assembly, not Governor Hogan, to make the call: In fact, more Marylanders want the General Assembly to ban fracking outright (25%) than want legislators to leave the decision up to Governor Larry Hogan (20%).

“This poll confirms that Marylanders are looking to the General Assembly for leadership,” said Shilpa Joshi, Maryland campaign coordinator at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “By passing a moratorium on fracking in 2015, state legislators will be ensuring the health and safety of all Marylanders and responding to the will of voters.”
The Protect Our Health and Communities Act (HB 449/SB 409), introduced in early February by Senator Karen Montgomery, Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo, and 51 legislative co-sponsors, will be heard Tuesday afternoon in the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. The bill would place an eight-year hold on the issuance of drilling permits in Maryland. Scientists and health professionals have said that a long-term moratorium is required to fully understand the nature and severity of the long-term cumulative health risks of drilling and fracking.
“Dozens of peer-reviewed scientific studies indicate inherent risks to public health and the environment from fracking wherever it occurs,” said Ann Bristow, PhD, a Garrett County resident who was a commissioner on the state’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission and is a cofounder of Concerned Health Professionals of Maryland. “The Maryland public is rightly worried about these risks. It’s time for the General Assembly to follow the lead of New York and take action to protect our communities from potentially irreversible harm.”
Ahead of tomorrow’s committee hearing, legislators, advocates, business owners, health professionals and scores of concerned state residents will hold a noon rally on Lawyers’ Mall in support of a long-term moratorium on fracking.
In February, more than 100 Maryland health professionals sent a letter to the General Assembly leadership in support of a long-term moratorium. Tomorrow’s rally is hosted by the “Don’t Frack Maryland” coalition, which includes more than 100 public interest organizations, businesses, health professionals and faith groups committed to passing a long-term moratorium on fracking in Maryland.
The OpinionWorks poll, commissioned by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, surveyed 500 randomly-selected Maryland registered voters between February 3, 2015 – February 11, 2015 and carries a margin of sampling error no greater than ±4.5%.
Advocates are using the hashtag #DontFrackMd to share updates and information on the legislation and related events.
View the OpinionWorks memo on the fracking poll results.
View the infographic on the poll results.
Contact:
Shilpa Joshi, 240-396-2029, shilpa@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Background: More than 425 peer-reviewed scientific studies on the effects of shale gas development now exist, and 75 percent of those have been published since January 2013. Of the 49 studies that investigated the health effects of fracking, 47 – over 96 percent – found risks or adverse health outcomes. Maryland’s Institute for Applied Environmental Health (MIAEH) also concluded that the likelihood of negative public health impacts was “high” or “moderately high” in 7 of 8 areas studied.

Marylanders Rally in Annapolis to Urge Lawmakers to Increase the State's Clean Energy Goals

Citizens ask their elected officials to work together for cleaner air and water, improved public health and clean energy jobs

Annapolis, Md. – With mini-wind turbines spinning in the frigid night air and glow sticks lighting the walkway to the State House, more than 100 Marylanders rallied in Annapolis on Monday to show their support for the Clean Energy Advancement Act. Business, health, faith, labor and climate leaders headlined the rally alongside legislators, urging the General Assembly to act in 2015 to expand the state’s goals for clean electricity ahead of a key Senate hearing on the bill.
The Clean Energy Advancement Act (HB 377/SB 373), recently introduced with 16 Senate and 45 House co-sponsors, would gradually raise Maryland’s existing clean electricity consumption mandate, called the “Renewable Portfolio Standard.” The bill would require that 25 percent of Maryland’s electricity comes from clean sources by 2020 and set a trajectory to reach 40 percent by 2025, doubling the current standard. The bill is up for a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday afternoon.
“Ten years ago, we passed the first bill of this type under Governor Ehrlich and there were only a few solar companies in Maryland,” said Senator Brian Feldman, a lead sponsor of SB 373. “Now we have more than 150 solar companies employing more than 3,000 people. This legislation gives us the opportunity for clean energy to have an even greater impact on our economy.”
The bill comes at a time when Maryland is experiencing the increasingly detrimental effects of relying on fossil fuels—coal, oil, and gas—for energy, including dangerous air pollution, contaminated water and damaging weather:

  • Last year, 2014, was the hottest year on record worldwide, while recent studies show that Baltimore and Annapolis lead the nation in increased flooding driven by rising sea levels.
  • Eighty-five percent of Maryland residents live in areas that fail to meet the nation’s clean air standards, and Maryland has the 8th worst ground ozone pollution level in the nation.
  • Maryland ranks 5th in the nation in adult asthma and nearly 12 percent of Maryland children have asthma.

“Clean energy is putting Marylanders to work and cleaning up the air we breathe. It’s a critical solution to global warming, and to improving the lives of the most vulnerable among us. That’s why every member of the Maryland Latino Legislative Caucus has cosponsored this legislation, and we look forward to seeing it pass this year,” said Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk, chair of the newly formed Maryland Latino Legislative Caucus.
The Maryland faith community also rallied Monday to express concern about toxic emissions caused by power plants that result in harmful air and water pollution. The impacts from that pollution are usually worse in communities of color.
“Over 220 religious leaders across Maryland, including the bishops of seven Christian denominations, have joined together to speak out for clean energy,” said Rev. Stephen Tillett, of Asbury Broadneck United Methodist Church, who also spoke at Monday evening’s rally. “It’s not right that we still get half of our state’s energy from fossil fuels that pollute the air and make our neighbors sick. Our faith communities are showing that there is a better way.”
The National Academy of Sciences estimates that illness caused by polluting energy sources costs Maryland households an average of $73 per month. A separate analysis shows that a 40 percent clean electricity standard will prevent 200 to 450 deaths per year in Maryland.
“This is a remarkable opportunity for all Marylanders to let their policymakers know that we want to replace dirty energy making dirty, sick air with clean, renewable energy that makes our air cleaner and healthier,” said Dr. Cindy Parker, President of Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility. “We want policymakers to make the right choice to support healthy air so children, elders, people with heart or lung diseases like asthma will live longer, happier, more productive lives with much less suffering from asthma attacks, hospitalizations, and lost work and school days. “
In addition to reducing significant health costs, doubling Maryland’s renewable portfolio standard would spur significant economic gains. The policy would create nearly 1,600 new jobs per year in the state’s solar industry and spur 18,000 new jobs in the regional wind-power economy. According to the Maryland Clean Energy Center, clean energy jobs already generate more than $8.2 billion in associated salaries and wages in Maryland on an annual basis.
“The Maryland Clean Energy Advancement Act means more jobs for Maryland, including more public sector jobs, more manufacturing and constructions jobs,” added Charly Carter, Executive Director of Maryland Working Families. “That is a big win for all of Maryland’s workers and for our communities.”
“As the seas rise along Maryland’s shores, a grassroots movement for change is rising up, too,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “We’re here today to tell our legislators that we have a moral obligation to act, and we also have an opportunity to act. By getting more of our electricity from the wind and the sun, we will protect our children while growing our economy.”
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS:
Advocates are using the hashtag #CleanerMDnow to distribute information about the legislation and these supporting events.
Click here to view photos of Monday’s rally and lobby night.
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Tiffany Hartung, 248.933.2451, hartungt@nwf.org

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The mission of the Maryland Climate Coalition is to unite Marylanders to mitigate climate change to protect our environment, health, and economy. The Coalition works with a broad range of partners engaging in policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and public education. For more information about the Maryland Climate Coalition, visit http://www.marylandclimatecoalition.org.

Business Leaders Urge Lawmakers to Raise Maryland’s Clean Energy Goals as Hearings Begin in Annapolis

Leaders say legislation will expand job growth and economic development while reducing costly air and climate pollution

ANNAPOLIS—Maryland lawmakers would help spur good-paying jobs and economic development by passing legislation in 2015 to expand the state’s use of clean, renewable energy, said business leaders and workers who came to Annapolis today to testify before a key House committee.
During a morning press conference with the bill’s lead sponsors, renewable energy entrepreneurs—including a former Army Major General—emphasized that a region-leading clean electricity goal would establish Maryland as a regional hub for investment in the fast-growing solar and wind industries.
“This legislation will lock in Maryland as a leader in the clean technology sector, expanding jobs and prosperity while diversifying our economy,” said Senator Brian Feldman, lead Senate sponsor of the Maryland Clean Energy Advancement Act (HB 377/SB 373).
“This is a clear instance where cleaning up our air and water means putting people to work,” said Delegate Bill Frick, lead House sponsor of the bill. “Maryland’s solar industry now employs 3,000 workers, growing by 29 percent in 2014. In 2015, it’s time to speed up this growth by expanding our state policy.”
The legislation, which has a hearing in the House Economic Matters Committee this afternoon, would gradually raise Maryland’s existing “Renewable Portfolio Standard,” which requires that an increasing amount of the state’s electricity comes from clean sources like wind and solar power. The bill would require that 25 percent of Maryland’s electricity come from clean sources by 2020 and set a trajectory to reach 40 percent by 2025, doubling the current standard.
Among the press conference speakers was Roger Blunt, a founder and chairman of Essex Construction who is also a retired U.S. Army Major General, a former director of Pepco, and a former director of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. Essex is a Prince George’s County-based business that specializes in clean energy building projects.
“For the good of our economy, and for the good of our veterans, we need to pass the Maryland Clean Energy Advancement Act,” said Blunt. “By raising our renewable energy standard, we’ll send a strong market signal that Maryland is the place for solar and wind manufacturers to set up shop. We’ll also expand a growing clean energy workforce that employs a high percentage of veterans like me.”
Maryland is already first in the Mid-Atlantic region for green jobs per capita. Analysis shows that doubling Maryland’s use of renewable energy would create nearly 1,600 new jobs per year in the solar industry, which are well-paid and diverse. The policy could create 18,000 new jobs across the regional wind power supply chain, providing an economic lifeline to Maryland’s windy Eastern Shore and reinvigorating the state’s manufacturing base.
Executives of Baltimore-based BITHENERGY, Inc., a firm that has developed, financed, and integrated over 33 megawatts of solar projects, underscored that state policy is key to attracting businesses like theirs to Maryland.
“When we started BITHENERGY a few years ago, we had the option of starting the company in any number of states,” said Robert L. Wallace, president and CEO of BITHENERGY. “We chose the State of Maryland because of its commitment to expanding clean energy technologies and creating an economic environment that made it attractive to companies like BITHENERGY. The passage of HB 377 would significantly enhance the economic imperatives that are necessary for clean energy companies like BITHENERGY to thrive and to accelerate job formation.”
“E2 has tracked more than a quarter-million clean energy jobs nationwide the past three years, and what we’ve seen is this: states with the strongest clean energy policies get the jobs,” said Bob Keefe, executive director of Environmental Entrepreneurs, a national nonpartisan business group. “If Maryland wants more clean energy jobs, it should increase the renewables standard.”
Sustainable Energy Advantage, LLC (SEA), an independent renewable energy consulting and advisory firm, found that the ratepayer impact of increasing Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to 40% by 2025 will likely be just under $2 per month per residential ratepayer (in 2014 dollars) in 2025. The ratepayer impact of increasing Maryland’s RPS to 25% by 2020 will likely be $0.52 per month per residential ratepayer (in 2014 dollars) in 2020.
In addition to delivering significant economic benefits, the Clean Energy Advancement Act would reduce the costly impacts of relying on fossil fuels—coal, oil, and gas—for energy, including dangerous air pollution, contaminated water and damaging weather. More than 85 percent of Marylanders live in areas that fail to meet the nation’s clean air standards. Increasing the state’s clean electricity standard is the top way the state can reduce the planet-heating emissions raising sea levels and fueling strange and severe weather in Maryland.
View the executive summary (PDF) of the Sustainable Energy Advantage, LLC ratepayer impact analysis.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS:
Friday’s press conference kicked off a series of events demonstrating broad support for the bill among Maryland businesses, faith communities, public health advocates, labor leaders, social justice and environmental groups. Advocates are using the hashtag #CleanerMDnow to distribute information about the legislation and these supporting events:

On Monday, February 23rd from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., hundreds of citizens will join legislators, faith, labor, and health leaders for a rally on Lawyers’ Mall to pass the Clean Energy Advancement Act, capping off the Maryland Climate Coalition’s citizen lobby night on the bill.

On Tuesday, February 24th at noon, ahead of a Senate Finance Committee hearing, two Maryland bishops will join other faith leaders for a tele-press conference, unveiling a letter signed by over 200 clergy of all faith traditions who are calling on legislators to expand clean energy. Journalists can join the tele-conference by dialing (605) 477-2100 and using passcode 306196#.

Contact:
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org
Jeff Benzak, 202-513-6248, jeff@e2.org

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Statement of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network in Support of Striking Oil Refinery Workers

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network released the following statement in solidarity with oil refinery workers currently on strike for safe working conditions and fair labor practices:
“For over 12 years, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network has been working to advance the urgently needed shift away from oil, coal and gas to a clean, efficient and renewables-based energy system and economy. We do so because we want to prevent catastrophic climate change which will dramatically impact human societies and other life forms all over the world. Our desire is for a much more democratic, just and healthy world for all life on earth.
“That is why we support the work stoppage initiated on February 1 by the United Steelworkers of America at nine oil refineries. They did so over a number of issues, including: ‘dangerous conditions the industry continues to ignore; the daily occurrences of fires, emissions, leaks and explosions that threaten local communities without the industry doing much about it; and the flagrant contracting out that impacts health and safety on the job.’ (Steelworkers International Vice-President Gary Beevers, head of the Steelworkers National Oil Bargaining Program)
“It is in the interests of workers and nearby communities to demand that the oil industry provide a healthy and safe workplace. This is true for all workplaces, no matter what the industry, but it is particularly necessary for inherently dirty, polluting and dangerous industries.
“As we support the refinery workers, we continue to work for that time in the future when all energy jobs in this country are based on safer, cleaner, and sustainable energy like wind and solar power. We support a just transition to such an economy that includes provisions for jobs and job training for workers currently employed in carbon-based energy jobs.”
Contact: Ted Glick, 240-396-2155, ted@chesapeakeclimate.org

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Baltimore-Area Delegate Introduces Bill To Shed Light on the Growing Threat of Crude Oil Trains in Maryland

In wake of West Virginia derailment and explosion, advocates applaud the bill as a crucial step to increase transparency in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS–Citing growing local safety concerns and an alarming lack of transparency, Delegate Clarence Lam (D-12) has introduced legislation in the General Assembly to require state study of the potential risks of crude oil train accidents in Maryland. The bill also requires disclosure of the volume of crude oil being transported by trains in the state.
“Many communities near our railways are not aware of the millions of gallons of highly volatile crude oil that pass only feet from their homes,” said Delegate Lam, who represents areas of Baltimore and Howard Counties. “As a strong proponent of disclosure and transparency, I believe that this information should be made public so that state agencies and local communities can plan and prepare for the possibility of rail accidents involving crude oil.”
“As we just saw from yesterday’s crude oil train derailment in West Virginia, accidents involving crude oil along our railways are becoming all too frequent, costly, and dangerous,” continued Del. Lam. “With the amount of crude oil being transported by rail, an accident in Maryland is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when.’ A similar disaster occurring in or near Baltimore could place many lives at risk, inflict tremendous environmental harm, and cripple significant parts of our economy.”
A boom in fracking in the Bakken region of North Dakota has led to a surge in the transport of highly flammable Bakken crude oil on North American rail lines in recent years. A dramatic increase in spills, derailments, and explosions has followed. Just yesterday, a CSX crude oil train derailed and exploded in West Virginia, destroying one house, setting over a dozen tankers on fire, spilling oil into the Kanawha River and forcing the evacuation of two nearby towns.
In Maryland, the oil industry is currently targeting the port of Baltimore as a new throughway for shipping oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota to East Coast refineries. Texas-based Targa Resources is seeking approval to ship millions of gallons of crude oil daily out of the port of South Baltimore. Meanwhile, rail companies CSX and Norfolk Southern are in the middle of a controversial lawsuit to prevent the state from disclosing the amounts and routes of Bakken crude travelling throughout the state.
“We applaud Delegate Lam for working to clear the fog of secrecy surrounding the movement of toxic and explosive crude oil through Maryland communities,” said Jon Kenney, Maryland Community Organizer at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “The explosion that occurred in West Virginia yesterday is yet another wake up call. The public deserves to know where this highly flammable oil is traveling by rail and how our state would respond to a worst-case spill or explosion.”
The legislation introduced by Del. Lam, HB 1073, would require the Department of the Environment and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to jointly prepare a risk assessment for the event of a crude oil-by-rail spill in Maryland, and to prepare prevention, emergency response, and contingency plans. The bill also mandates disclosure of the amount of crude oil being transported by rail through Maryland.
“If only one car was to derail and explode, at minimum a half-mile evacuation radius would be necessary to prevent loss of life, while toxic crude could simultaneously spill into our waterways and the Inner Harbor, causing potentially irreversible damage to our drinking water, economy and ecosystem,” said Will Fadely, Baltimore Program Organizer for Clean Water Action. “Is Baltimore really ready for such a devastating possibility?”
Read a fact sheet about the threat of Crude Oil-by-Rail through Baltimore here:
http://chesapeakeclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CCAN-Baltimore-Crude-Factsheet-1.pdf
Contact:
Jon Kenney, 301-385-4187, jon@chesapeakeclimate.org
Kelly Trout, 240-396-2022, kelly@chesapeakeclimate.org

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