{"id":380091,"date":"2025-05-26T17:59:52","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T15:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=380091"},"modified":"2025-05-26T17:59:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T15:59:53","slug":"maryland-governor-cant-afford-climate-virtue-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=380091","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Governor: Can\u2019t Afford Climate Virtue\u00a0Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Science Matters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Ron Clutz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Inside Climate News speaking on the side of Climate Virute reported Moore Vetoes Key Maryland Climate Studies, Reversing Course on Environmental Justice Commitments. <\/strong><\/a> Excerpts in italics with my bolds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The governor nixed<\/strong> a series of high-profile bills<\/strong> that aimed to study the economic impacts of climate change, energy infrastructure and reparations<\/strong>, leaving advocates questioning his commitment to environmental and racial justice priorities.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maryland legislators and\u00a0environmental advocates expressed dismay<\/strong>\u00a0after Gov. Wes Moore vetoed<\/strong>\u00a0a series of widely supported\u00a0climate and environmental study bills last week,<\/strong>\u00a0actions they believe not only mark a sharp departure from his climate promises but also reflect a breakdown in communication between the governor and members of his own party in the legislature.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Climate Lemmings<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On May 16, Moore vetoed<\/strong> more bills<\/strong> than he had in the past two years combined, including multiple proposals that had passed with strong backing from legislative leadership and key climate coalitions.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vetoes\u2014affecting studies on climate costs, energy reliability, data center impacts and racial reparations\u2014have left activists and lawmakers questioning<\/strong> whether Moore<\/strong> remains a reliable ally in the fight for climate and racial justice<\/strong> and whether his political calculus may have shifted, placing short-term cost savings above long-term structural reform.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Among the vetoed bills was the\u00a0Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act of 2025<\/strong><\/a>, which would have tasked the comptroller and state agencies with\u00a0assessing the total cost of greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong>\u00a0and reporting findings by December 2026. Stripped down from its\u00a0original version<\/strong>, which\u00a0proposed financial penalties for fossil fuel companies<\/strong>, the bill was seen as an important step toward documenting climate damages and\u00a0laying the groundwork for future polluter-pay policies.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The estimated\u00a0cost<\/strong>\u00a0of the study was about $500,000,\u00a0drawn from<\/strong>\u00a0the state\u2019s Strategic Energy Investment Fund\u00a0(SEIF)<\/strong>\u2014a dedicated fund supported by\u00a0penalties utilities paid for failing to meet renewable energy targets<\/strong>. It has ballooned to over $300 million in recent years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Moore also rejected the\u00a0Data Center Impact Analysis and Report bill<\/strong>, which called for a collaborative study on the\u00a0environmental and economic footprint<\/strong>\u00a0of data center expansion across Maryland. The report, required to be completed by September 2026, was meant to guide future zoning and energy decisions as these power-intensive facilities expand statewide.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a letter to the Senate and House leadership, Moore stated budget shortage, agency workload and redundancy as key reasons for the vetoes<\/strong>. \u201cMany of these reports are never read and simply collect dust on shelves,\u201d Moore wrote, calling the expected $1.28 million cost \u201can unsustainable commitment<\/strong> given the state\u2019s current financial constraints.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also vetoed was the Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act,<\/strong> <\/a>which would have created a Strategic Energy Planning Office<\/strong> within the Public Service Commission to assess long-term electricity reliability, model resource scenarios and recommend planning strategies. It was designed to help Maryland manage increasing energy demands as the state transitions toward clean power.<\/strong> The office would have released a major report every three years, coordinating with state agencies and collecting public input. The veto stalls forward-thinking energy planning, critics said.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a separate letter to Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones, Moore justified his veto<\/strong> of the Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act by citing fiscal constraints and overlaps.<\/strong> He pointed to the estimated annual cost of $4.4 million to $5.3 million, warning it would duplicate efforts and pass costs on to consumers. \u201cThis cost<\/strong> would ultimately be passed along to Maryland ratepayers<\/strong> at a time when we are actively working to limit their burden, not add to it,\u201d he wrote.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThis veto is extremely frustrating and simply does not support the state\u2019s climate goals.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Kim Coble, Maryland League of Conservation Voters<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The governor\u00a0nixed\u00a0a series of high-profile\u00a0bills\u00a0that aimed\u00a0to study the economic impacts of climate change, energy infrastructure and reparations, leaving advocates questioning his commitment to environmental and racial justice priorities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":348773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818056,691835340,691835342,691818514,691835341,691823827,691835343],"class_list":{"0":"post-380091","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-climate-change","9":"tag-climate-studies","10":"tag-energy-infrastructure-and-reparations","11":"tag-extreme-weather","12":"tag-gov-wes-moore","13":"tag-maryland","14":"tag-strategic-energy-investment-fund-seif","16":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0nothing-to-see-here-move-along.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1ASv","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":228119,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=228119","url_meta":{"origin":380091,"position":0},"title":"Britain Joins Australia\u2019s Call for Bigger Climate Change Payouts","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/11\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Is Prime Minister Flip-Flop\u00a0planning \u00a360 billions of tax rises and spending cuts\u00a0so he can provide large \u201cclimate pledge\u201d payouts to foreigners?","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-326.png?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-326.png?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-326.png?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-326.png?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":289440,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=289440","url_meta":{"origin":380091,"position":1},"title":"Biden Admin Pledges Millions To International \u2018Climate Reparations\u2019 Fund","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/12\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"From The Daily Caller NICK POPE CONTRIBUTOR (Photo by Robert Perry-Pool\/Getty Images) The Biden administration has pledged millions of dollars to a de facto international \u201cclimate reparations\u201d fund at the United Nations (UN) climate summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 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