ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Governor Larry Hogan on Thursday strongly opposed the Maryland Senate’s consideration of the "Climate Solutions Now Act."
Senate Bill 528 would require the state to achieve net-zero statewide Green House Gas emissions by 2045.
It would also require the monitoring of methane emissions from landfills, mandate alterations to existing conservation regulations for buildings, and force the state to switch their fleet to zero-emission vehicles.
Hogan summed it all up as a tax bill.
“The reckless and controversial energy tax bill being debated in the Senate imposes massive burdens on Maryland families and small businesses," said Hogan. "With inflation surging and energy prices at record highs, this is the absolute worst possible time for policies that raise costs for consumers."
The Governor cited a World Resources Institute study that found Maryland came in first at reducing energy-related carbon dioxide emissions while increasing the gross domestic product rate.
“Our focus right now should be on increasing domestic energy production and lowering costs—not raising them," said Hogan. "While we share the goal of protecting our environment and combating climate change—and have made historic progress—putting the costs on Marylanders is no solution.”
