Cleaner, Greener B-more - Page 2

PeterSmith · December 5th, 2007, 03:34 PM

Drastic action on warming
Governor's panel urges that Md. take steps to slash pollution 90%

By Tom Pelton | Sun reporter
December 5, 2007

An advisory panel appointed by Gov. Martin O'Malley is proposing that the state slash global warming pollution from Maryland by 90 percent by 2050 - one of the most ambitious goals in the country.

"The climate crisis is real, and while it threatens our shorelines today, its causes and symptoms threaten life on our planet in the generations ahead unless we act," O'Malley says in the report.

To reduce the amount of carbon dioxide pouring from power plants and other sources, Maryland should join other states in the region in creating a system of penalties and rewards to discourage pollution, according to an interim report of the 22-member Maryland Commission on Climate Change, which is led by O'Malley's Cabinet members.

Under the "cap and trade" system, the state would impose fees on companies that exceed the limits, with the money going to reward cleaner businesses.

State Environment Secretary Shari T. Wilson, who chaired the panel, said Maryland should also do more to encourage energy conservation and alternative energy sources, and do a better job of planning and managing growth, to reduce sprawl and the miles people have to drive.

And to limit damage to the state's shorelines from rising sea levels, Wilson said, the state should identify areas where developers should be required to build "soft shorelines" or artificial wetlands instead of rock walls.

"We will have to take a look at everything we do, in terms of state and local government action," to address the problem of global warming, Wilson said.

The panel was established after state lawmakers rejected a bill this year that would have required all businesses to cut emissions of global warming gases and legislation that would have forced all new state buildings to meet energy-efficient standards.

Among the concrete steps suggested in the report are that Maryland lawmakers follow California's example and pass a law requiring a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020.

Some of the new recommendations will require approval from the General Assembly, which begins its regular session in January. Others can be implemented administratively.

The 61-page "Climate Action Plan" was released during a time of intense debate around the world over what government should do about climate change.

World leaders are meeting in Bali to discuss international efforts. And a U.S. Senate committee is scheduled today to debate amendments on a landmark bill proposed by Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and John W. Warner of Virginia that would create a national "cap and trade" system to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.

In anticipation of a vote on that bill, environmental groups held a flurry of news conferences yesterday to press for action.

In Maryland, Wilson said she and the other members of the commission - which includes six lawmakers - will present their ideas to O'Malley and legislative leaders in the coming weeks.

It's not clear whether O'Malley will embrace the recommended steps or the goal of a 90 percent reduction by 2050, which is higher than the 80 percent cut adopted by California, Florida, New Jersey and Massachusetts, Wilson said.

"I haven't had a chance to brief him on it yet," said Wilson, who was appointed by O'Malley. "But the governor has said that the time to act has passed and the time to catch up is now. ... He will be reviewing these to determine which of these [steps] he will embrace."

Rick Abbruzzese, a spokesman for the Democratic governor, said O'Malley will study the report and have more to say on what he'll do. "The goals are ambitious and would put Maryland at the forefront on some of these issues," Abbruzzese said. "But the goals are also science-based. "

Frank Maisano, a lobbyist who represents power companies and wind farm developers, questioned the feasibility of a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

"That is an awfully aggressive goal for what we know to be technologically feasible," Maisano said. "The rhetoric has to match up with the reality. I hope they're not biting off more than they can chew."

Maisano pointed out that Maryland passed a renewable-energy law a few years ago to encourage wind power and other clean energy sources, but no wind farms have been built here.

Meantime, many environmentalists praised the goals. "This forward-thinking report is a fantastic first step in confronting the issue of catastrophic climate change," said Claire Douglass, a coordinator for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Others said the report lacks concrete recommendations for transportation, as the state moves forward with the Intercounty Connector highway project in the Washington suburbs, which some fear could bring more pollution.

"The targets are impressive, but the urgency of climate change requires we ensure that strong, achievable goals are matched with specific plans that can actually be implemented," said Dave O'Leary, energy chairman for the Maryland Sierra Club.

jamie_hunt · December 5th, 2007, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterSmith

Drastic action on warming
Governor's panel urges that Md. take steps to slash pollution 90%

By Tom Pelton | Sun reporter
December 5, 2007

snip
The 61-page "Climate Action Plan" was released during a time of intense debate around the world over what government should do about climate change.

World leaders are meeting in Bali to discuss international efforts.
snip

Bali. Nice. Don't imagine they swam there. Or considered tele-conferencing. As someone said recently: "I'll believe it's a problem when the people who are saying it's a problem start acting like it's a problem."

(Okay, go ahead and hammer me ... but in my defense I live in a house built in 1820 within walking distance of the town hall, library, school, and pizza shop and car-pool to work ... I'm just sick of politicians and bureaucrats talking out of both sides of their mouths ... and it was four degrees here a couple mornings ago; I could use a little global warming right about now.)

MobtownManiac · December 5th, 2007, 04:58 PM

I keep hearing this argument. But there isn't a single person who is advocating change that suggests people not fly - that's impractical. Further, until there is technology readily available that lessens the pollution from jetliners, it's impossible.

As for the weather, the Northern Hemisphere just experienced the warmest year on record in 2007. The Southern Hemisphere logged the 8th(?) warmest.

This 90% reduction sounds overly ambitious, but I'm all for setting the bar high.
I'd be encouraged to hear that the SuperFund was re-established, for starters.
Ehrlich did away with that & suggested that rather than penalizing corporations for polluting the bay & using their penalties to clean it up we should just offer benefits for those who didn't pollute. Like removing the penalty wasn't benefit enough, the corporations were just going to stop polluting out of the goodness of their hearts?

jamie_hunt · December 5th, 2007, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MobtownManiac

I keep hearing this argument. But there isn't a single person who is advocating change that suggests people not fly - that's impractical. Further, until there is technology readily available that lessens the pollution from jetliners, it's impossible.

As for the weather, the Northern Hemisphere just experienced the warmest year on record in 2007. The Southern Hemisphere logged the 8th(?) warmest.

Nah, I'm not suggesting that people shouldn't fly, but c'mon ... flying to Bali to jaw about global warming, or climate change, or whatever the current mot juste is?

And, yeah, the climate is changing. Always has. My yard in NH was under a mile-thick glacier as recently as 10,000 years ago — a blink of the eye, geologically speaking.

MobtownManiac · December 5th, 2007, 05:17 PM

When you have a meeting about a global issue with leaders from all over the world, they have to meet somewhere. Someone's going to have to travel.

jamie_hunt · December 5th, 2007, 05:28 PM

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nation...81_bali05.html

More than 10,000 jet into Bali for global warming conference
U.N. official rejects notion attendees adding to problem

By ROBIN MCDOWELL
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BALI, Indonesia -- Never before have so many people converged to try to save the planet from global warming, with more than 10,000 jetting into this Indonesian resort island, from government ministers to Nobel laureates to drought-stricken farmers.

But critics say they are contributing to the very problem they aim to solve.

"Nobody denies this is an important event, but huge numbers of people are going, and their emissions are probably going to be greater than a small African country," said Chris Goodall, author of the book "How to Live a Low-Carbon Life." <snip>

10,000 people ... I dunno, I like a good junket as much as the next person, but that's a little much. Whatever happened to "Think Globally, Act Locally"? A million people could've been teleconferenced for a fraction of the cost. Anyway, sorry to drag this thread away from its Baltimore focus.

TheGlobalizer · December 5th, 2007, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamie_hunt

"Nobody denies this is an important event, but huge numbers of people are going, and their emissions are probably going to be greater than a small African country," said Chris Goodall, author of the book "How to Live a Low-Carbon Life." <snip>

Well, that's one book I'll never read. What small African country is he talking about? Hyperboleland?

jamie_hunt · December 5th, 2007, 08:37 PM

Ha! Maybe, like me, he's just bummed he didn't get invited (all expenses paid, of course) to Bali. I don't think they even have a word for "snow shovel" in Bali. Hey, I forgot to mention that, unlike all my (saner) NH neighbors, I don't have a snow-blower. It's freakin' killing me to shovel a foot of whatever the opposite of global warming is off my walk and driveway, but I'm living more virtuously. Until I have a heart attack. Not sure how the math on CO2 emissions works with that one ...

TheGlobalizer · December 5th, 2007, 08:39 PM

Makes me wonder how much climate change my lungs are responsible for.

But, I digress...

DrzBrooklynChulo90 · December 6th, 2007, 12:00 AM

I really feel bad for the Cheasapeake Bay.Its even dirtier this year than this same time last year.They really need to do something about it and quick,before its too late

jamie_hunt · December 6th, 2007, 03:19 PM

Hug an oyster, Drz.

If the little bivalves can rebound, it'll do the bay a world o' good.

jamie_hunt · December 6th, 2007, 03:25 PM

And plant a "green roof" to filter run-off.

image hosted on flickr

MDGuy recently posted this in the Baltimore Skyline thread. Is this the roof of Brewers Hill?

jamie_hunt · December 10th, 2007, 08:10 PM

... and if there's a conference on the other side of the world, instead of flying, try this ...

Maudibjr · December 10th, 2007, 10:00 PM

I saw the little Jones falls current powered cleaner yesterday. It looks someone yard shed. Does anyone know if the idea is working?

It just off the end of cental in the docks.

jamie_hunt · December 10th, 2007, 10:15 PM

Interesting. Is it being "road tested" on Harford Run (which runs underneath Central) before being moved to the Jones Falls?

cgunna · December 10th, 2007, 10:31 PM

never heard of a greenroof until today.

interesting.

pfd103 · December 11th, 2007, 03:55 PM

http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?p...giveagift_tree

I just donated to plant a tree...good idea

pfd103 · December 17th, 2007, 03:05 PM

http://www.cleanergreenerbaltimore.org/

PeterSmith · December 17th, 2007, 04:02 PM

Cool site. There's another website - www.livegreenbaltimore.com - but it appears to be under re-construction at the moment.

pfd103 · December 18th, 2007, 09:01 PM

Not sure if this was mentioned before...

http://www.baltimorebiodiesel.org/

December 5th, 2007, 05:28 PM	#26
jamie_hunt Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3,357 Likes (Received): 10	http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nation...81_bali05.html More than 10,000 jet into Bali for global warming conference U.N. official rejects notion attendees adding to problem By ROBIN MCDOWELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BALI, Indonesia -- Never before have so many people converged to try to save the planet from global warming, with more than 10,000 jetting into this Indonesian resort island, from government ministers to Nobel laureates to drought-stricken farmers. But critics say they are contributing to the very problem they aim to solve. "Nobody denies this is an important event, but huge numbers of people are going, and their emissions are probably going to be greater than a small African country," said Chris Goodall, author of the book "How to Live a Low-Carbon Life." <snip> 10,000 people ... I dunno, I like a good junket as much as the next person, but that's a little much. Whatever happened to "Think Globally, Act Locally"? A million people could've been teleconferenced for a fraction of the cost. Anyway, sorry to drag this thread away from its Baltimore focus. Last edited by jamie_hunt; December 5th, 2007 at 05:38 PM.

December 10th, 2007, 10:31 PM	#36
cgunna Sons of Blood and Thunder Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 729 Likes (Received): 2	never heard of a greenroof until today. interesting. __________________ Across 110th street...

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December 5th, 2007, 03:34 PM	#21
PeterSmith Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Miami/Baltimore Posts: 4,163 Likes (Received): 11	Drastic action on warming Governor's panel urges that Md. take steps to slash pollution 90% By Tom Pelton \| Sun reporter December 5, 2007 An advisory panel appointed by Gov. Martin O'Malley is proposing that the state slash global warming pollution from Maryland by 90 percent by 2050 - one of the most ambitious goals in the country. "The climate crisis is real, and while it threatens our shorelines today, its causes and symptoms threaten life on our planet in the generations ahead unless we act," O'Malley says in the report. To reduce the amount of carbon dioxide pouring from power plants and other sources, Maryland should join other states in the region in creating a system of penalties and rewards to discourage pollution, according to an interim report of the 22-member Maryland Commission on Climate Change, which is led by O'Malley's Cabinet members. Under the "cap and trade" system, the state would impose fees on companies that exceed the limits, with the money going to reward cleaner businesses. State Environment Secretary Shari T. Wilson, who chaired the panel, said Maryland should also do more to encourage energy conservation and alternative energy sources, and do a better job of planning and managing growth, to reduce sprawl and the miles people have to drive. And to limit damage to the state's shorelines from rising sea levels, Wilson said, the state should identify areas where developers should be required to build "soft shorelines" or artificial wetlands instead of rock walls. "We will have to take a look at everything we do, in terms of state and local government action," to address the problem of global warming, Wilson said. The panel was established after state lawmakers rejected a bill this year that would have required all businesses to cut emissions of global warming gases and legislation that would have forced all new state buildings to meet energy-efficient standards. Among the concrete steps suggested in the report are that Maryland lawmakers follow California's example and pass a law requiring a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020. Some of the new recommendations will require approval from the General Assembly, which begins its regular session in January. Others can be implemented administratively. The 61-page "Climate Action Plan" was released during a time of intense debate around the world over what government should do about climate change. World leaders are meeting in Bali to discuss international efforts. And a U.S. Senate committee is scheduled today to debate amendments on a landmark bill proposed by Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and John W. Warner of Virginia that would create a national "cap and trade" system to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. In anticipation of a vote on that bill, environmental groups held a flurry of news conferences yesterday to press for action. In Maryland, Wilson said she and the other members of the commission - which includes six lawmakers - will present their ideas to O'Malley and legislative leaders in the coming weeks. It's not clear whether O'Malley will embrace the recommended steps or the goal of a 90 percent reduction by 2050, which is higher than the 80 percent cut adopted by California, Florida, New Jersey and Massachusetts, Wilson said. "I haven't had a chance to brief him on it yet," said Wilson, who was appointed by O'Malley. "But the governor has said that the time to act has passed and the time to catch up is now. ... He will be reviewing these to determine which of these [steps] he will embrace." Rick Abbruzzese, a spokesman for the Democratic governor, said O'Malley will study the report and have more to say on what he'll do. "The goals are ambitious and would put Maryland at the forefront on some of these issues," Abbruzzese said. "But the goals are also science-based. " Frank Maisano, a lobbyist who represents power companies and wind farm developers, questioned the feasibility of a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. "That is an awfully aggressive goal for what we know to be technologically feasible," Maisano said. "The rhetoric has to match up with the reality. I hope they're not biting off more than they can chew." Maisano pointed out that Maryland passed a renewable-energy law a few years ago to encourage wind power and other clean energy sources, but no wind farms have been built here. Meantime, many environmentalists praised the goals. "This forward-thinking report is a fantastic first step in confronting the issue of catastrophic climate change," said Claire Douglass, a coordinator for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Others said the report lacks concrete recommendations for transportation, as the state moves forward with the Intercounty Connector highway project in the Washington suburbs, which some fear could bring more pollution. "The targets are impressive, but the urgency of climate change requires we ensure that strong, achievable goals are matched with specific plans that can actually be implemented," said Dave O'Leary, energy chairman for the Maryland Sierra Club.

December 5th, 2007, 04:58 PM	#23
MobtownManiac Charm City Ambassador Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Baltimore Posts: 190 Likes (Received): 0	I keep hearing this argument. But there isn't a single person who is advocating change that suggests people not fly - that's impractical. Further, until there is technology readily available that lessens the pollution from jetliners, it's impossible. As for the weather, the Northern Hemisphere just experienced the warmest year on record in 2007. The Southern Hemisphere logged the 8th(?) warmest. This 90% reduction sounds overly ambitious, but I'm all for setting the bar high. I'd be encouraged to hear that the SuperFund was re-established, for starters. Ehrlich did away with that & suggested that rather than penalizing corporations for polluting the bay & using their penalties to clean it up we should just offer benefits for those who didn't pollute. Like removing the penalty wasn't benefit enough, the corporations were just going to stop polluting out of the goodness of their hearts?

December 5th, 2007, 05:17 PM	#25
MobtownManiac Charm City Ambassador Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Baltimore Posts: 190 Likes (Received): 0	When you have a meeting about a global issue with leaders from all over the world, they have to meet somewhere. Someone's going to have to travel.

December 5th, 2007, 08:37 PM	#28
jamie_hunt Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3,357 Likes (Received): 10	Ha! Maybe, like me, he's just bummed he didn't get invited (all expenses paid, of course) to Bali. I don't think they even have a word for "snow shovel" in Bali. Hey, I forgot to mention that, unlike all my (saner) NH neighbors, I don't have a snow-blower. It's freakin' killing me to shovel a foot of whatever the opposite of global warming is off my walk and driveway, but I'm living more virtuously. Until I have a heart attack. Not sure how the math on CO2 emissions works with that one ...

December 5th, 2007, 08:39 PM	#29
TheGlobalizer Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 683 Likes (Received): 0	Makes me wonder how much climate change my lungs are responsible for. But, I digress...

December 6th, 2007, 12:00 AM	#30
DrzBrooklynChulo90 Javier Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Baltimore Posts: 665 Likes (Received): 0	I really feel bad for the Cheasapeake Bay.Its even dirtier this year than this same time last year.They really need to do something about it and quick,before its too late

December 6th, 2007, 03:19 PM	#31
jamie_hunt Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3,357 Likes (Received): 10	Hug an oyster, Drz. If the little bivalves can rebound, it'll do the bay a world o' good.

December 6th, 2007, 03:25 PM	#32
jamie_hunt Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3,357 Likes (Received): 10	And plant a "green roof" to filter run-off. image hosted on flickr MDGuy recently posted this in the Baltimore Skyline thread. Is this the roof of Brewers Hill?

December 10th, 2007, 08:10 PM	#33
jamie_hunt Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3,357 Likes (Received): 10	... and if there's a conference on the other side of the world, instead of flying, try this ...

December 10th, 2007, 10:00 PM	#34
Maudibjr Indeed Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Baltimore Posts: 966 Likes (Received): 0	I saw the little Jones falls current powered cleaner yesterday. It looks someone yard shed. Does anyone know if the idea is working? It just off the end of cental in the docks.

December 10th, 2007, 10:15 PM	#35
jamie_hunt Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3,357 Likes (Received): 10	Interesting. Is it being "road tested" on Harford Run (which runs underneath Central) before being moved to the Jones Falls?

December 11th, 2007, 03:55 PM	#37
pfd103 Bmore Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Baltimore Posts: 1,242 Likes (Received): 5	http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?p...giveagift_tree I just donated to plant a tree...good idea

December 17th, 2007, 03:05 PM	#38
pfd103 Bmore Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Baltimore Posts: 1,242 Likes (Received): 5	http://www.cleanergreenerbaltimore.org/

December 17th, 2007, 04:02 PM	#39
PeterSmith Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Miami/Baltimore Posts: 4,163 Likes (Received): 11	Cool site. There's another website - www.livegreenbaltimore.com - but it appears to be under re-construction at the moment.

December 18th, 2007, 09:01 PM	#40
pfd103 Bmore Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Baltimore Posts: 1,242 Likes (Received): 5	Not sure if this was mentioned before... http://www.baltimorebiodiesel.org/