Latest news with #ChesapeakeClimateActionNetwork
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Summer reading: A climate warrior pens a lyrical, and hopeful, local look at climate action
Chesapeake Climate Action Network Director Mike Tidwell uses clippers to free a tree from invasive vines climbing its trunk. (File photo by Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters) Mike Tidwell is one of the most aggressive lobbyists in Annapolis, a fierce advocate for climate action who doesn't suffer fools gladly. Lobbying a state government that routinely resists bold action, where progress is incremental at best, Tidwell has been known to aggravate legislative leaders, administration officials and their top aides with a pull-no-punches style highlighting the urgency of the climate crisis. But playing against perception, if not against type, Tidwell, the founder and leader of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), has just released a book about global warming that is sweet and lyrical, almost poetic, and surprisingly hopeful. 'The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue' is, in one sense, what it purports to be: A look at how severe weather and climate change have decimated the tree canopy on a single street in Takoma Park, where Tidwell lives. But it's also a broader meditation on multiple global environmental crises and the people who are heroically trying to do something about them, even at a very micro level. CCAN has been around for more than two decades now, but probably few people who interact with Tidwell know much about his own journey into climate activism. Once a journalist and travel writer, Tidwell began fretting about the world his son and younger generations would be inheriting and became convinced he needed to do more personally. So CCAN, which has become a regional environmental powerhouse, was born. Tidwell's book essentially charts his own activism and observations, particularly in the historically hot year of 2023, alongside the sometimes sudden and other times slow deaths of towering trees on his street and in the surrounding neighborhood in Takoma Park, the 'Peoples Republic' that borders Washington, D.C. One by one, Tidwell introduces the reader to a cast of characters in Maryland who are trying to do something about climate change. Some are familiar political leaders like Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th) and Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Montgomery). These two elected officials are climate warriors like Tidwell who have also overcome personal crises over the years – in Tidwell's case, it's the lingering and debilitating impacts of Lyme disease, which he contracted several years ago thanks to the proliferation of deer in suburban neighborhoods, a trend directly attributable to climate change. Raskin and Charkoudian also happen to be Tidwell's neighbors in Takoma Park. In the book, Tidwell also discusses the desire of a climate scientist who wants to bury dead trees to help capture carbon and heal the Earth; the worries of his pastor, vexed by the expense of responding to the intense flooding that is ravaging the church basement; the work of the city arborist and his bosses in Takoma Park; and numerous neighbors who are scrambling to make the best of the disappearing tree canopy on Willow Street by planting climate-resilient trees, expanding their vegetable gardens, and looking after their neighbors' lawns. Through the years, Tidwell has become an unofficial steward of tree health in Takoma Park, leading expeditions of volunteers who clip vines that are choking local trees to death – an effort he describes in his book . It's a model of cataloguing and pruning he hopes other activists will follow across the country. Tidwell writes at length about the science of tree birth, life and death, about the souls of trees and the healing qualities they bring to communities and all sentient beings. 'The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue' is a quick and enjoyable read, and ultimately serves as a primer for climate action that anyone can follow. Tidwell sounds many hopeful notes on what's possible and attainable, including the growing prominence of renewable energy across the globe. It's worth pointing out that he wrote the book before Donald Trump moved back into the White House in January and before Maryland political leaders backslid alarmingly this year on climate legislation; Tidwell no doubt is licking his wounds and shaking his head after a very rough session for environmentalists in Annapolis. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE But there are important reminders in 'The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue': Climate catastrophes are in the news every day – epic, apocalyptic, international-scale disasters like wildfires, tsunamis and flooding. Yet the ravages of the crisis are around us all the time – so obvious that we can observe and comprehend the implications of a few dead trees on a single suburban street. It follows, then, that the solutions to this existential crisis are often close at hand – and begin with each and every one of us. Of course, it wouldn't be a Tidwell book without some polemic. Individual climate action is important, he argues. But don't lose sight of the responsibilities and culpability of the polluters and their enablers in elected office; collective action is essential. 'We did not, as a country, end racial segregation and stop child labor practices and phase out DDT through voluntary individual choices,' Tidwell observes. 'Those victories required national movements of people demanding statutory change. The climate movement, likewise, needs more citizen activists to hasten the switch to clean power and finally abolish fossil fuels by law.' – 'The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue,' by Mike Tidwell, 279 pages, is available from St. Martin's Press, $29.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Maryland's building emissions rules got ‘trimmed' this session
Two air source heat pumps installed on the exterior of a house. ( photo by Nimur.) Environmentalists who feared an extensive rollback of one of the state's signature climate programs, instead managed to escape this year's legislative session with what they say are just revisions to the Building Energy Performance Standards. The BEPS program, adopted as part of the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, requires large buildings in the state to electrify over time, and reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, or pay fees. This year, lawmakers exempted hospitals from the rules, amid other changes, but largely left the program intact to the relief of environmentalists. 'BEPS was trimmed, not cut down,' said Jamie DeMarco, a lobbyist for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. CCAN initially supported House Bill 49, which would have given buildings some more flexibility, including with a waiver program for specific cases. The Maryland Department of the Environment, which enforces building emissions rules, proposed the bill. But midway through the legislative session, lawmakers began discussing broader modifications to the rules, including exempting residential buildings and hospitals, said Brittany Baker, CCAN's Maryland director. 'Once we were having these BEPS conversations, legislators had all of this angst … about BEPS, that now they wanted to attach all of these weakening amendments to the bill,' Baker said. Moore issues executive order that could delay EV sales penalties That came about the same time that a bill rolling back Maryland's electric vehicles program was advancing in the legislature. Ultimately, that bill failed, but not before Gov. Wes Moore issued a similar executive order, allowing his administration to pause penalties for the first two years of the EV program, which requires manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of electric cars in Maryland. 'This legislative session was a tough, tough few months,' read an online post from CCAN. 'However, our advocacy changed the trajectory of the session in a tangible way.' Residential buildings don't appear in the passed bill, which is on the governor's desk. But hospitals were exempted, and emissions associated with steam sterilization and back-up generators at medical facilities, nursing homes and laboratories are also exempt under the bill. 'We think it was unnecessary. No other BEPS in the country exempts hospitals,' DeMarco said. 'But that's what happened.' Prior to this year's bill, historic buildings, elementary and secondary schools, manufacturing buildings, agricultural buildings and federal buildings could all apply to be exempted from BEPS. In testimony on the original bill, the Maryland Hospital Association pushed for lawmakers to exclude hospitals, arguing that they are held to unique HVAC standards, and intensive care units, emergency rooms and operating rooms need 'continuous and guaranteed access to power.' 'While hospitals support efforts to combat climate change, the unique nature of hospitals — and the potentially deadly consequences of power failure on patient safety — requires special consideration for an exemption,' wrote Natasha Mehu, vice president of government affairs and policy at MHA. This year's bill also clarified the relationship between the state and a similar building emissions program established in Montgomery County, in a way DeMarco called 'fair and reasonable': It lets MDE certify county-level programs and waive the state rules for buildings in counties that have approved regulations. Tom Ballentine, vice president for policy and government relations for Maryland NAIOP, a commercial real estate association, said the change reconciles 'overlapping requirements at the state and local level' and lets building owners focus on Montgomery's rules, which include earlier deadlines. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Buildings — with fossil-fuel burning furnaces, water heaters and stoves — contributed 16% of Maryland's greenhouse gas emissions as of 2020. Under state law, Maryland's overall emissions must be net-zero by 2045. In addition to reducing emissions, Maryland's BEPS program requires large buildings (over 35,000 square feet) to reduce their 'energy use intensity,' which measures annual energy use per square foot. The exact reductions haven't been set yet, after the General Assembly required MDE last year to take in energy use data from buildings first. Ballentine said that the energy use regulations represent an 'expansion of the policy scope that needs some consideration,' because it goes beyond greenhouse gas emissions. 'The way that energy efficiency has been managed in the past is through building and energy codes that are developed through a process that puts a high value on technical feasibility and cost effectiveness,' Ballentine said. 'MDE doesn't have that same mandate.' The bill exempted buildings with permanent 'sensitive compartmented information facilities,' or SCIFs, owned by certain federal agencies, from the energy use requirements. These facilities are essentially secure rooms where classified information is discussed, protected by security technology. DeMarco said he would have preferred to see SCIFs themselves exempted from the rules, rather than any building that contains a SCIF. 'The fear is that any data center, if it wants to be exempted from energy-use intensity, could just find a SCIF to be contained in it. But most data centers right now do not have SCIFs,' DeMarco said. Lawmakers approve energy reform bills aimed at cutting rates, boosting in-state generation Meanwhile, BEPS waivers focused on economic feasibility were stricken from the bill. The energy use regulations are a 'co-equal pillar' of the BEPS rules, DeMarco said, because they help prevent building owners from purchasing cheaper yet more inefficient electric heating systems, forcing tenants to deal with high bills. As originally introduced, this year's bill, which came from MDE, would have set up alternative compliance payments for the energy use segments — instead of only the greenhouse gas emissions. But that language was scrapped from the bill. Ballentine said the fees were set far too high. Using data from Montgomery County, his association estimated that the worst performing condominium building might have paid up to $600,000 per year. 'I was very surprised, actually, that in a session where the BGE bill impacts of increased energy costs and power surcharges were such an item of discussion, the energy intensity fee didn't get more attention,' Ballentine said. 'Because it is big for some buildings. It's a substantial number. With MDE's backing, the fees may resurface in the legislature. Getting the balance right is critical, DeMarco said. The fees must be high enough to encourage building owners to make the building renovations, but low enough that they don't bankrupt building owners who cannot comply. 'It essentially caps how much any building will ever have to pay, and knowing that there's an upper bound of how much you would ever have to pay provides a lot of beneficial certainty,' DeMarco said.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland's sweeping new energy legislation is a mixed bag for climate
Maryland just passed a raft of energy legislation designed to curb rising utility bills and boost in-state power generation. The reaction from climate advocates was mixed. On the one hand, advocates lauded steps to limit gas infrastructure investments, streamline the community solar build-out, install more battery storage, and remove renewable-energy subsidies for trash incinerators. But they're also wary of recently passed legislation that expedites new gas and nuclear power plants. Environmental groups had pushed back on those measures, arguing the energy sources could raise costs for consumers and run counter to the state's ambitious climate goals. The policies accomplished 'some really good things for lowering bills and protecting ratepayers, but we're going to have to watch the implementation very closely to ensure that this keeps us in line with climate goals,' said Brittany Baker, Maryland director at the nonprofit Chesapeake Climate Action Network. The three energy bills passed Monday are now headed to Democratic Gov. Wes Moore's desk for signing. The largest is the Next Generation Energy Act, which cobbled together provisions from various bills introduced throughout the legislative session — many of which take steps to reduce carbon emissions and lower residential energy bills, clean energy advocates said. For one, the bill sets up a process for the state to install up to 1.75 gigawatts of battery storage and disqualifies waste-to-energy plants from receiving subsidies through the state's renewable portfolio standard. A separate bill will accelerate community solar development and limit the ability of local governments to block certain solar projects. Lawmakers also took historic action to rein in utility rate hikes and protect ratepayers. Last year, a report by the Maryland Office of People's Counsel found that growing gas and electric bills were largely driven by multiyear rate hikes and a 2013 state law that allows gas utilities to recoup pipeline-replacement costs up front through a monthly surcharge on bills. That law 'created a financial incentive to replace gas lines,' said Susan Stevens Miller, senior attorney at the nonprofit Earthjustice. 'Sadly, it created too much of an incentive,' causing utilities to replace pipelines unnecessarily to earn the guaranteed return on their investment. The Next Generation Energy Act takes aim at both issues by requiring gas companies to demonstrate 'customer benefits' and cost-effectiveness when spending on pipelines under the 2013 law, and setting stricter standards for utility regulators to approve multiyear rate plans. The legislation also prohibits utilities from charging customers for membership dues to trade associations that engage in lobbying, like the American Gas Association and Edison Electric Institute, and for private jets. Maryland joins a growing wave of states that have introduced laws to prevent utilities from recovering lobbying costs and luxury expenses from customers. Overall, these protections 'will save Marylanders hundreds of millions of dollars,' said Emily Scarr, senior advisor at the Maryland Public Interest Research Group, in a statement. The bill further requires utilities to create standardized rates and contracts with data centers, to ensure they pay their fair share and don't pass on higher energy costs to residents. It also authorized an estimated $80 one-time electricity refund for all residential customers to be sent out over the next year. Despite progress in some areas, Maryland's energy policy takes 'a giant step backwards' by fast-tracking new gas power plants, said Stevens Miller. The legislation sets up an expedited process for up to 10 new fossil-gas plants, defined as 'dispatchable energy generation.' The provision faced backlash from clean energy and environmental justice groups in earlier forms of the bill and was later amended to require any expedited gas plants to be capable of converting to hydrogen or 'zero-emissions' biofuels. Legislators also amended the bill to strengthen community-input and permitting processes for such projects. The amendments did little to change the bill's ultimate impact, Stevens Miller said. 'The end result is that someone will want to build a gas-fired power plant, and they'll use this fast-track process essentially to try to get permission to build that gas-fired power plant in Maryland.' In 2022, Maryland committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 60% below 2006 levels by 2031 and achieving net-zero economy-wide emissions by 2045. Adding new gas power plants, which release greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air pollutants, would stifle any progress toward those targets, climate advocates argue. Stevens Miller and other advocates have also raised concerns about portions in the bill to procure nuclear energy and invest in new advanced nuclear reactors, which they say would ultimately raise electricity bills and waste valuable time and resources that could be dedicated to encouraging cheaper solar, wind, and other clean energy sources. Nuclear power is the state's largest source of electricity, providing just under 40% last year. Fossil gas provided another 38%. Meanwhile, just over 8% of its power came from renewables in 2024. 'We did not make a lot of climate progress this year, honestly,' said Baker of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. While the push for battery storage will help the state remain 'in line with our climate goals,' this year's reforms 'didn't raise the goals or move us ahead in a very significant way." Love Canary Media and find our reporting valuable? Please consider financially supporting our work with a donation. Thank you!
