Governor ignites public backlash after scrapping critical protections with no warning: 'It's really heartbreaking'

Yahoo

3 days ago

The Maryland governor shocked legislators and environmental action groups by vetoing a number of anti-pollution and environmental study bills.
On May 16, Wes Moore rejected proposals to gather information about the impact of rising global temperatures on the economy, energy reliability, and more, Inside Climate News reported. Critics said it marked "a sharp departure from his climate promises."
He cited "the state's current financial constraints," though one of the bills — the Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather Act of 2025 — was to cost just $500,000 from the $300 million-plus Strategic Energy Investment Fund, which is backed by utility companies that pay penalties "for failing to meet renewable energy targets," according to ICN.
Moore also said the Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act, which was to cost between $4.4 million and $5.3 million, would raise consumers' energy rates, per ICN. But the bill was designed to help the state transition to clean energy sources by providing long-term assessment and planning strategies.
The Data Center Impact Analysis and Report bill was another that got brushed off. It was to study "the environmental and economic footprint of data center expansion," ICN reported.
Maryland lawmakers thought they were headed in the right direction with these legislative efforts, and many people were blindsided by the vetoes. The RENEW Act received particularly strong support, as it could clear the path to make fossil fuel companies pay for the pollution they create.
"If the governor vetoes a bill to basically begin to study what the polluters owe us, then the only conclusion you can make is he wants taxpayers to pay billions of dollars for a mess that the oil companies knowingly created," Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network director, told ICN.
Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins called the RENEW legislation "monumental," while Kim Coble, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, said: "This veto is extremely frustrating and simply does not support the state's climate goals."
Climate action is not just about climate change and would reduce pollution, improve human health and environmental conditions, and rebalance ecosystems, weather, and other things that make the planet inhabitable for people, wildlife, and vegetation. What's more, every $1 spent now on resilience and preparedness saves $13 in future damages, cleanup costs, and economic impact.
The Maryland General Assembly can override Moore's actions with a three-fifths vote in each of the House of Delegates and Senate. While the lawmakers are not in session, Moore can convene a special session, or a majority of elected members in the House and Senate can convene one via petition.
"I think there's a strong possibility," Wilkins told ICN. "There's a lot of passion on both bills and a lot of interest … and they did both pass with veto-proof majorities."
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