ANNAPOLIS, MD — Each year, Maryland lawmakers propose a number of climate-focused bills.
This year, a few are cutting it close to key legislative deadlines that loom.
A bill expanding the Empower program is making its way through the House to the Senate.
"This legislation is about helping Marylanders save money on their electric bill and reducing pollution," said Josh Tulkin, director of the Maryland Sierra Club
According to Empower, the program has assisted 21,000 low-income Marylanders in reducing their energy bill.
The bill would set bigger goals for greenhouse gas reductions.
"That means also providing incentives and rebates for people to switch from harmful gas appliances like gas boilers and hot water heaters," said Tulkin.
BGE supports the climate goals in the bill but disagrees with limiting the Public Service Commission's funding options for the program.
Another bill would ban the use of pesticides that contain polyfluorinated substances, better known as PFAS or forever chemicals.
"We're in a PFAS crisis, it's coming at us from many sources that we can't control but this is one source that we can turn off the tap of PFAS," said Bonnie Raindrop with the Smart on Pesticides Maryland Coalition
PFAS have been linked to health issues.
The ban would only eliminate about 1,000 of the 14,000 available pesticides in Maryland.
"These chemicals last for generations and they never go away so we need, I hope, legislators to take action on this bill," said Raindrop.
This bill faces an uphill battle, the deadline to get out of the House is Monday.
