In the following email, House Majority Leader Kumar Barve announced the House’s passage of his bill to limit greenhouse gas emissions. A different version of the bill has already passed the Senate by a 36-9 vote.
March 30, 2009
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REDUCTION ACT PASSES HOUSE OF DELEGATES
Dear Friends,
The House of Delegates passed legislation I introduced that requires a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The bill, which also has Gov. O’Malley as a lead sponsor, requires a reduction of 25% from 2006 levels by 2020.
The passage is a culmination of three years of effort. As part of the workgroup that helped craft this proposal, I was very pleased that so many representatives of labor, industry, science, and environmental organizations testified in favor of the legislation. The companion Senate bill has also passed the Senate, so it seems likely that Maryland will again show its leadership in another area of environmental reform.
Maryland, with 3,100 miles of shoreline, is directly threatened by rising sea levels and flooding caused by global warming. We can no longer treat the atmosphere as though it were a big free garbage dump. We have the technological ability to clean up our air, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and move to a future free of foreign energy dependence. This measure goes a long way towards ensuring these goals.
Governor O’Malley’s aggressive support of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act has been vital in the crafting of this compromise. His sponsorship of this bill helped ensure passage.
Best regards,
Kumar P. Barve, Majority Leader
Maryland House of Delegates