A new campaign set forth by a coalition of environmental advocates and energy leaders in Maryland, calls for a doubling of the state’s current Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). The campaign, dubbed the Maryland Clean Energy Jobs Initiative, aims to increase the current target of 25% renewable energy by 2020 to 50% by 2030, stimulating regional job growth, especially in low income communities, and promoting “environmental justice”. The program would require utilities and Load Serving Entities (LSEs) to purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) representing one megawatt-hour of renewable electricity in order to comply with these standards. While the coalition acknowledges the political obstacles ahead, they are optimistic, attributing much of the political “momentum” to recent natural disasters and impacts of climate change. Organizations that have expressed support of the campaign include the NAACP, Interfaith Power and Light, SEIU 119, and the MDV SEIA.
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