60 organizations call for passage
of the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act in 2024
March 27, 2024
Governor Moore, Speaker Jones, and Senate President Ferguson,
The undersigned 60 organizations call on you to champion climate action and environmental justice by passing the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act (HB166/SB146) in 2024. Communities can’t afford to wait.
The Reclaim Renewable Energy Act is ready to pass right now. This is the 7th year in a row that it has been introduced. It is well-vetted, well-understood, and has broad support throughout the state: leaders in the legislature, leaders in local governments that use incinerators, the Governor’s own Climate Pollution Reduction Plan, the Maryland Climate Commission, and the leaders of communities facing trash incineration on the front lines. All acknowledge: burning trash is not clean, renewable energy, and eliminating trash incineration from Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard is the right thing to do.
Passing the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act will make significant new investments available for real renewable energy with zero cost to Maryland’s budget. In each year the General Assembly fails to pass the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act, the state forces Maryland electricity ratepayers to waste tens of millions of dollars subsidizing multinational corporations that own trash incinerators in our region instead of supporting renewable energy. Stalling on this bill would be fiscally irresponsible. Maryland cannot afford another year of purposeless delay.
Passing the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act is urgent this year. We look forward to future years when you lead on future improvements to the Renewable Portfolio Standard and transition Maryland toward 100% clean energy. But eliminating trash incineration from the RPS does not need and cannot wait for a comprehensive RPS review, and must be completed now before advancing a 100% clean energy policy.
Five years ago, the Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2019 was introduced: increasing Maryland’s RPS mandate to 50% renewable energy by 2030 and eliminating trash incineration from the RPS in the same package. The legislature advanced the 50% mandate but left trash incineration in the RPS, leaving frontline communities behind and allowing the money wasted on trash incineration to mount even further. Maryland cannot risk proposing legislation to fix trash incineration’s “renewable energy” status and to develop a 100% clean, renewable energy mandate at the same time. That would risk a repeat of 2019, if trash incineration were to ultimately retain its “renewable energy” status when the clean, renewable energy mandate increases again. Maryland must eliminate trash incineration from the RPS now, in 2024, before advancing legislation for 100% clean, renewable energy.
Passing the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act in 2024 is within your power. Leaving it behind for another year would be a failure on environmental justice, a failure on climate action, and a failure to represent your constituents who are clamoring for change now. This is the year to finally schedule the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act for a vote, pass the bill, and make hundreds of millions of dollars of additional investments available to support renewable energy at no cost to the state budget. You have the opportunity to be celebrated this year as leaders who finally solved a glaring environmental injustice. We urge you to endorse and pass the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act in 2024.
Sincerely,
Mid-Atlantic Justice Coalition
South Baltimore Community Land Trust
Clean Water Action
Food and Water Watch
#CoalFreeCurtisBay
Beyond Extreme Energy
CASA
Climate Communications Coalition
Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOS (CCAIC)
HoCo Climate Action
Maryland Energy Advocates Coalition
Maryland Legislative Coalition Climate Justice Wing
Potomac Riverkeeper Network
Progressive Maryland
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Sentinels of Eastern Shore Health
Friends of the Earth
Maryland Catholics for Our Common Home
Environmental Justice Ministry, Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Baltimore Community ToolBank
Third Act Maryland
Green Sanctuary Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring
Biodiversity for a Livable Climate
Climate Law & Policy Project
Fellowship Of Scientists and Engineers
Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland
Sustainable Hyattsville
Mountain Maryland Movement (Frostburg)
League of Women Voters of Maryland
Maryland League of Conservation Voters
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Sierra Club Maryland Chapter
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Indivisible HoCoMD
ACQ Climate
Beaverdam Creek Watershed Watch Group
Centro de Apoyo Familiar
Envision Frederick County, Inc.
Maryland Ornithological Society
Echotopia LLC
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Environmental Justice Ministry
Maryland PIRG
Environment Maryland
Sugarloaf Alliance
350.org
Zero Waste Montgomery County
Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition
Sugarloaf Citizens Association
Langley Park Civic Association, Inc.
Milagros de Jesucristo inc
Baltimore Green Space
Climate XChange Maryland
Blue Water Baltimore
Charm City Land Trusts
Annapolis Green
Namati US Environmental Justice Program
Balt Wash Conference of the UMC Creation Care Advocacy and Action
Emmanuel UMC Green Team, Laurel
Elders Climate Action Maryland
Climate Reality Greater Maryland
