For Climate Alarmists, It's Never Enough
Recently Governor Larry Hogan, unfortunately, allowed the Climate Solutions Now Act to become law without his signature.
This deceptive bill does little to provide a true path forward on working towards improving our environment. What it does, however, is create a whole slew of new commissions and government handouts in an effort to pretend that one state alone can stem the tide of climate change.
But for professional climate alarmists, it’s never enough:
Eight Democratic gubernatorial candidates have signed a resolution calling for the next governor to support legislation that would get the state to use 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 and to work to remove trash incineration from the state’s “clean energy” classification during the 2023 legislative session.
The resolution — which was developed by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26, CASA and the NAACP Maryland State Conference — calls for 40% of all clean energy and climate benefits to go to “historically disadvantaged communities” in Maryland.
The resolution states that race is the “#1 indicator of placement of toxic facilities” and that communities of color are 79% more likely to live near air pollution sources which increase the risk of cancer, neurological issues, and heart and respiratory illness. It contends the state of Maryland should commit to an “equitable investment in environmental justice communities.”
The pledge was signed by the following Democratic gubernatorial candidates: former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, Maryland Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot, former Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, former Obama administration official Ashwani Jain, former U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr., author and former nonprofit CEO Wes Moore, former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez, and founder of the socialist Bread and Roses Party Jerome Segal.
“This Resolution and these candidates’ signatures are the first steps toward necessary equitable and just climate action,” Anthony Field, Maryland campaign coordinator for CCAN, said in a statement.
This, of course, is insane.
The Climate Solutions Act, which does not even officially become law until June 1st, requires the state to achieve net-zero Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2045. Now, the professional climate alarmists already want to accelerate that timeline by ten years without a single provision of the new law being implemented.
Not that you should trust the people who brought us black liquor as “clean energy” on doing right by taxpayers or the environment.
What’s even more mindboggling is the fact that these professional alarmists want to target nearly half of the lean energy and climate investments/benefits accrue to historically disadvantaged communities.” What that language means is left completely amorphous in the document.
But wait, there’s more. The climate alarmist goals also include:
“Increasing access to public transit and green transportation alternatives, particularly in overburdened, under-served communities.”
“Providing support for the transition of low-income neighborhoods to renewable energy sources while ensuring economic benefits are realized by residents.”
“Including prevailing wages and project labor agreements for the construction of utility-scale clean energy projects”
Look, we have all seen this movie before. The “outcomes” that the professional activists are looking for will never materialize. Under-served communities will see no benefits, with the benefits instead ending up with the politically connected. Energy costs will rise as power-generating companies are required to comply with these new mandates. And your taxes will go up in order to pay for all of this, for higher energy costs, government handouts, and prevailing wage laws.
And for what? While I agree that change starts at home nothing will be done to clean up our climate until such time as the world’s largest polluter, China, starts to clean up its act
If the Democrats implement this plan, and every filed gubernatorial candidate except for Jon Baron and Ralph Jaffe have signed on to do it, it will be just another expansion of government power for no discernible benefit.