There appeared to be enthusiastic support for reducing Maryland’s carbon footprint at a Senate committee hearing Tuesday. But some weren’t so sure the Climate Solutions bill before them was the way to do it.
Michael Powell, a lawyer for a building trades group, told the Senate’s environment committee everyone supports climate change legislation. But some of the provisions of the bill, for example retrofitting some buildings to be all electric, were just unworkable.
“It doesn’t take an architect to think that if you have a 15 or 20 story building, and it’s heated by a boiler in the basement and radiators and hot water, that converting all of that to electricity for heating is going to be difficult,” he said.
Charles Washington, a lobbyist for BGE, said his company supports decarbonization and has announced its own plans to cut its emissions by 50% by 2030. They’re committed to helping their customers reduce emissions as well, he added.
But no other state in the country has adopted a building code that requires such a quick transition from natural gas to electricity, he said..
“The states and smaller jurisdictions that are considering decarbonization policies better account for the challenges, the feasibility and the range of options and economic impacts inherent in such a transformational shift,” he said. “This bill goes too far, too fast.”
Read more (and listen) at WYPR.
