[Chat] MD clean energy bill gets final approval!

[Emil Volcheck]

Good news for clean air in Maryland from CCAN.  --Emil

----- Forwarded message from Cindy Parker <ciparker at jhsph.edu> -----

Delivered-To: volcheck at speakeasy.net
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 12:29:42 -0400
From: Cindy Parker <ciparker at jhsph.edu>
Subject: Balti CCAN: VICTORY!!! Md. clean energy bill gets final approval!
To: alexbeth at comcast.net, amillar516 at aol.com, audreyregan at yahoo.com,
...

Hello Balti CCANers,
Congratulations to us all and a BIG THANK YOU to all of you that helped
make this happen!!!
 
Our April meeting is this Thursday, April 15th, at Cindy and Steve's
house (2703 St. Paul St.) at 7:30pm. 
 
The Towson Town Festival is coming up on May 1 and 2 and we'll need
volunteers to help staff the table. Even if you can't come to the
meeting on Thursday, please let me know if you can help out with the
Festival.
 
Strong work!
Cindy


 
Cindy L. Parker, MD, MPH
Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health Preparedness
615 N. Wolfe St., Suite WB030
Baltimore, MD 21205
(443) 287-6734 office
(443) 287-6736 fax
ciparker at jhsph.edu
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Mwtidwell at aol.com [mailto:Mwtidwell at aol.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 11:31 AM
To: Mwtidwell at aol.com
Subject: VICTORY!!! Md. clean energy bill gets final approval!
 
Dear clean energy supporters, 

It's finally over and victory is ours! The Maryland clean energy bill
received final approval last night from the General Assembly (see press
release below) and is now headed to the Governor's desk where we believe
he will sign it. I cannot adequately thank all of you who worked for
three years across the state to make this day possible: donating money,
signing petitions, calling and emailing elected officials, attending
rallies. This is YOUR victory! Enjoy it.

Best,
Mike Tidwell
Chesapeake Climate Action Network

=====================================================
News from the Chesapeake 
Climate Action Network:

Maryland General Assembly Passes Landmark Clean Energy Bill

Three-year grassroots campaign ends with victory in fight against global
warming and air pollution

ANNAPOLIS -- The Maryland General Assembly gave final approval Monday
night to landmark legislation that will bring significant amounts of
renewable energy -- like wind and geothermal power -- into the state's
electricity grid beginning just two years from now.

The legislation, designed to fight global warming and clean up air
pollution, passed by large, veto-proof, bi-partisan majorities in both
chambers. The bill requires that 7.5 percent of the state's electricity
come from renewable sources by 2014, and adds Maryland to the list of 14
other states that have passed similar legislation. 

The bill is expected to incentivize the construction of several large
commercial wind farms in Western Maryland as soon as next year. Bill
supporters gave enormous credit to House of Delegates Speaker Michael E.
Busch, who strongly supported the measure throughout the session.

"This truly is a historic day in our state's fight for good health,
energy sanity, and environmental protection," said Mike Tidwell,
director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a leading supporter
of the bill. "We owe a great debt of gratitude to Speaker Busch and all
the elected officials of both parties who did the right thing for
Maryland's energy future."

The bill was supported by the state's two largest utilities -- Pepco and
Constellation Energy Group -- as well as a broad coalition of Maryland
environmental, health, faith, labor, student, and business groups. 

"This bill brings so many benefits to so many Marylanders in so many
different ways," said Gary Skulnik of the Clean Energy Partnership in
Silver Spring. "It creates  jobs, cleans our air, makes our region and
nation more energy independent, and begins protecting consumers from
future price shocks from fossil fuels, especially natural gas." 

For more information contact:
Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 240-460-5838,
301-920-1633
Gary Skulnik, Clean Energy Partnership, 202-413-8534, 301-754-0430

----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
Emil Volcheck
volcheck at acm.org
http://acm.org/~volcheck