From the desk of Karla Raettig, Executive Director:
On January 11th in Annapolis, our legislators will reconvene in the state house at 12:00 pm. As they take their seats, the clock will start ticking on our 90 day legislative session and our opportunity opens to pass some great environmental laws.
In conjunction with the statewide Maryland Climate Coalition and legislative champions in both the Senate and House of Delegates, we are working to override Governor Hogan’s veto of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a bill ensuring that Maryland gets 25% of its electricity from renewable energy sources like wind and solar by 2020. Additionally, we have prioritized banning hydraulic fracturing in the state, a practice that has been linked to disastrous water and air pollution along with serious public health hazards.
We are also lending our support to limiting the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock to stop the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. These bacteria sicken millions of Americans every year and kill tens of thousands. We will also be working on banning Styrofoam statewide. This would be mean no establishment or institution can serve on Styrofoam materials, including restaurants and bans the sale Styrofoam containers or packaging peanuts.
We additionally join with our partners to protect smart growth policies related to septics regulations in reaction to the Governor’s statement this summer on rolling back on Chesapeake Bay restoration.
Related to all environmental legislation, Maryland LCV will be defending the budget for environmental agencies and enforcement of current environmental laws.
The truth is that we need you now more than ever. With the federal political climate, we must take a stand to defend the progress we’ve made here in Maryland. Make sure you stay tuned to your inbox for upcoming action alerts and updates from this legislative session.
We need to hold strong as a community and make sure that the great progress we’ve made continues into the future. Thank you for standing with me and the future of our beautiful state,
Karla Raettig
Executive Director
Maryland League of Conservation Voters