New bills aim to make Maryland reliant on renewable energy

Are more wind farms coming to a Maryland beach near you? This March, environmental activists, energy companies, and Democratic legislators have been pushing for a bill that would increase the state's renewable energy standards to 50 percent by 2030. That standard would rise to 100 percent by 2040, and supporters believe it would add a significant number of jobs within the renewable energy sector. According to The Baltimore Sun, the measure -- Senate Bill 516 and House Bill 1158 -- will also require legislators to conduct research in order to assess the costs and advantages of increasing renewable energy standards. Additionally, the bill would add a 1,200-megawatt requirement for offshore wind energy. In 2017, the Clean Energy Jobs Act committed Maryland to a 25 percent renewable energy target. So far, Republican Governor Larry Hogan has not endorsed the act, although he has spoken generally about the importance of taking action to fight climate change.