Governor Martin O'Malley Urges Congressional Support for Renewable Energy
ELLICOTT CITY, MD (September 3, 2008) – Governor Martin O’Malley joined U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman John Sarbanes, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and others in urging Congress to return to session and take immediate action on renewable energy for Maryland and all Americans. Senate Bill 3335 will extend investment tax credits for installing solar energy and building wind turbines and other energy-efficient systems beyond the current deadline of December 31, 2008.
“Maryland is quickly emerging as a national leader in renewable energy, and extending the Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credit is critically important to Maryland's efforts to keep our lights on and our bills down,” said Governor O’Malley. “As Marylanders begin receiving their rebates from BGE this month, the State of Maryland is resolved in providing real, long-term solutions to addressing our energy crisis. The State of Maryland and local jurisdictions need a partner in Congress to secure our energy future.”
“Passage of this tax credit bill is critical because it levels the playing field for alternative energy sources such as solar power,” said Senator Cardin. “Oil companies benefit from significant tax breaks; it’s past time to give investors in renewable energy the same incentives that can lead us to energy independence.”
“Investing in clean, renewable energy should receive bipartisan, if not unanimous support in the Congress. It’s unfortunate that a small group has blocked legislation to extend these policies,” said Congressman John Sarbanes. “Maryland families are depending on Congress to enact policies that move us away from our addiction to oil. If we take steps now to end this addiction, we can ensure that our children have alternatives to foreign governments and big oil companies for their energy needs.”
The Howard County solar installation at the site of the former landfill, where today’s event took place, illustrates the importance of these tax incentives to developing more solar, wind, and other alternative energy resources. The landfill is partnering with SunEdison, a Maryland company, to install solar panels at the old landfill site which will provide electrical power to nearby Worthington Elementary School.
“Extension of federal tax credits is critical to making renewable energy projects like this a reality. Senator McCain's failure to support these incentives is absurd. The Senator has renewable energy in his commercials, but because he won't vote on the issue we lose the opportunity to actually see renewable energy in our communities,” said Howard County Executive Ulman.
Governor O’Malley stressed the progress the State of Maryland and local jurisdictions have made in providing for a more secure energy future, and the need for a federal partner in these efforts. Earlier this year, Governor O’Malley negotiated a global settlement with Constellation Energy, providing for residential ratepayers will receive a one-time “rate rebate” of approximately $170, which began distribution to citizens this week. This refund amounts to $187 million in rate relief for Maryland’s families and represents a more than 10% reduction in this year’s total bill for more than 50% of all BGE customers – over 580,000 ratepayers.
Today’s event comes just weeks after a series of major environmental announcements by the Administration. In July, Governor O’Malley announced plans to transition 500 MTA buses to hybrid, and just weeks ago Governor O’Malley was awarded the highest grade ever for environmental initiatives from the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. The Governor also joined the Lt. Governor in August to announce the expansion of the state’s E-85 fuel infrastructure, and a series of steps Maryland’s government is taking to transition the State into a cleaner energy future.
Before the annual convention of the Maryland Association of Counties, Governor O’Malley, in his keynote address, outlined a comprehensive plan to secure Maryland’s energy future. Among the Governor’s planned initiatives, he announced continued partnership with metropolitan, county, and municipal governments using the bonding authority of Maryland Environmental Services to develop smaller scale “peaking plants” to bring new plants online as soon as possible. In order to become a national leader in renewable energy, Maryland will offer long-term contracts for clean, renewable power, to accelerate the arrival of more commercial scale projects like Delaware’s off-shore wind farm. In addition, Governor O’Malley proposes an acceleration of the deployment of so-called smart meters and smart pricing for consumers to reduce consumption and the provision of assistance to low-income families who are struggling to afford energy prices, during difficult economic times.
Last year, under the O’Malley-Brown Administration, Maryland passed the Clean Cars Act and adopted new green building standards for public buildings while investing in green technology for our schools. During the recent legislative session, Governor O’Malley signed the EmPOWER Maryland Initiative, one of the most ambitious goals in the nation for lowering energy consumption 15% by 2015. In addition, the Administration helped pass legislation that requires 20% of Maryland's energy portfolio to come from renewable sources of energy by 2022.
