BALTIMORE — A sweeping new executive order in Maryland on climate change directs all state agencies to get to net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.
The order signed by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore Tuesday tells agencies to adopt regulations and policies affecting everything from solar energy installations to the type of appliances in your home. Moore says the shift to a green economy accelerated by the order will result in up to $1.2 billion in public health benefits, a $2.5 billion increase in personal income for Marylanders, and at least 27,000 new jobs in sectors like solar energy and energy-efficient construction.
“Climate action is about more than avoiding disaster. It’s about growing opportunity, and that’s what today is about,” said Gov. Moore in a press release. “The climate crisis didn’t start overnight. It will take time and decisive action for us to tackle it. But we can—and we will—win this moment. We will win because we work together, we will win because we tackle our goals with action, and we will win because we leave no one behind.”
Among the measures is a directive to the Maryland Department of Environment to phase out the installation of carbon-spewing, gas-fired furnaces in homes by 2035.
“We're moving forward with trying to implement that regulation," said Serena McIlwain, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Environment. "As you know, we’re moving forward to heat pumps. It's important that we start transitioning from fossil fuels equipment to heat pumps and that movement is happening now.”
Ruth Ann Norton -- president & CEO of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to advancing racial and health equity and opportunity through healthy housing and a national expert and advocate on green and healthy homes -- called the executive order a breakthrough.
“The homes we've electrified under these standards.... there are lower energy bills, safer homes, housing values are going up and people are healthier," Norton said.
Moore called the switch to a greener economy an opportunity for growth.
“This is about economics," the governor said. "It's about jobs. It's about how we create more opportunities for the people of our state. And we think by being able to follow a larger environmental goal you're able to do both."
Allison Colden, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Maryland executive director, said the sweeping order will affect the preservation of land and water resources.
“By reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving green infrastructure and prioritizing communities, our state agencies can lead by example on how climate change action can be done effectively," Colden said. "Prioritizing natural infrastructure like forests and marshes that draw down and store carbon can also improve habitat and water quality, leading to a healthier Chesapeake Bay. We commend Gov. Moore for this executive order that will directly benefit public health, environmental justice, and Bay health."
Additionally, the order calls for the Maryland Energy Administration to create a framework for a clean energy standard to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035 and directs the Maryland Department of Transportation to undertake measures to promote clean transportation.
Moore's announcement at the solar energy-generating Henderson-Hopkins school in Baltimore was attended by protestors demanding an end to pollution from a coal port in Baltimore, which Moore did not address.
The governor was also asked about his support for the entry of the energy-guzzling data center industry to Maryland. Moore said aid he believes Maryland can achieve both climate goals and the development of data centers.
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