Member Sponsored Briefing: Equitable Implementation of the Maryland Climate Solutions Now Act: Challenges and Opportunities

The recently passed Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 jump-started several processes with ambitious deadlines starting in 2023. One of the most important and challenges areas of work is to reduce pollution caused by burning fossil fuels like gas, propane and oil to heat our homes and buildings. The legislation directs the Department of the Environment to develop regulations, including Building Energy Performance Standards, by June 2023. They will need to navigate tough questions about who is exempted, how to avoid negative impacts on businesses and low-income tenants, and what types of incentives and financial support will be needed. Advocacy organizations are moving quickly to build the capacity to ensure timely and equitably implementation. 

This briefing will highlight the need to support capacity-building efforts of the environmental advocacy ecosystem to lift all voices and engage diverse communities in this work.

Quick coordination and action will be needed to ensure that community voice and perspectives are included in the rule-setting and development of standards and benchmarks. Advocates are working with the Maryland Department of the Environment to ensure that regulation-setting process and the workgroups include key stakeholders from environmental justice and disinvested communities, residential tenants, building owners and managers, architects and engineers, the buildings trades, and more. The regulation-setting process envisioned seeks to be inclusionary, equity focused, and rooted in building sciences.

Our speakers will be:

• Elizabeth Alex, Chief of Organizing and Leadership, CASA
• Ryan Freed, Senior Director, Policy & Regulatory Strategy, Institute for Market Transformation
• Jonathan Lacock-Nisly, Director of Faithful Advocacy, Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)
• Todd Nedwick, Senior Director of Sustainability Policy, National Housing Trust
• Mark Stewart, Program Manager, Climate Change Program, Maryland Department of the Environment
• Josh Tulkin, Director, Sierra Club, Maryland Chapter

This briefing is sponsored by the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation.

This program is for Maryland Philanthropy Network members and invited guests only.