The looming energy policy debate in the Maryland General Assembly might best be described as everything, everywhere, all at once.
See the full story in the Maryland Matters.
More DMV News
Data Centers Fuel Energy Debates as Lawmakers Seek Ratepayer Protections
Virginia Mercury
With data centers placing an ever-growing strain on the grid, Virginia legislators are introducing measures to ensure residents don’t bear the brunt of rising energy costs caused by the booming industry. However, the proposals are facing stiff resistance.
How Trump Could Hobble Maryland’s Plans to Curb Climate Change
Baltimore Banner
Maryland is slipping behind schedule as it races to curb its contributions to climate change, and the road only looks likely to get rougher with President Donald Trump back in charge.
Maryland’s Renewable Energy Program: More Smoke and Mirrors Than Wind and Solar, New Report Alleges
Inside Climate News
Established 19 years ago, the state’s premium renewable energy program, known as the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), was supposed to remake Maryland’s energy system by replacing fossil fuel sources with renewable electricity.
Virginia Debate Over Solar Development Goals and Land Use Has Rural Lawmakers on Edge
Inside Climate News
A debate simmering for years about the construction of utility-scale solar facilities on farms and forestland in Virginia has reached a boil in the new legislative session, with decarbonization targets looming over the state and a proposed new facility review board threatening to infringe upon local decision-making.
National and International News
Trump Admin’s Attack on Clean Energy and Climate Funding Continues
Canary Media
This week saw the Trump administration launch and then pull back a far-reaching attempt to halt the flow of Congressionally mandated funds to causes the president opposes.
E.V. Owners Don’t Pay Gas Taxes. So, Many States Are Charging Them Fees.
New York Times
Owners of electric cars in Vermont recently got a letter from the Department of Motor Vehicles with some bad news. Starting Jan. 1, they would have to pay $178 a year to register their cars, twice as much as owners of vehicles with internal combustion engines.
In Policy Reversal, Trump Eliminates Help for Black and Latino Communities Hit Harder by Pollution
WBOC News
For four years, the Environmental Protection Agency made environmental justice one of its biggest priorities, working to improve health conditions in heavily-polluted communities often made up largely of Black, Latino and low-income Americans. Now that short-lived era is over.
EPA Fires Science Advisers
Politico
Acting EPA Administrator James Payne has ousted all members of two of the agency’s most influential science advisory panels, giving President Donald Trump’s administration the opportunity to reshape them with its own appointees.
Bloomberg to Fund UN Climate Body After Trump Exits Paris Deal
Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, will help cover US financial obligations under the Paris Agreement as President Donald Trump prepares to leave the global climate agreement.