Following a slew of building industry groups, energy companies and restaurateurs testifying in both the House and Senate against a key provision of major climate change legislation, environmental advocates consolidated on Monday to push for the bill’s full provisions that impose strict emissions reduction standards on the building industry.
The Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, and equivalent bills in the House, include measures that would require the state government to prepare building codes by 2024 designed to reduce carbon emissions in the building sector by requiring all new construction in the commercial and residential sectors to use electric power, rather than natural gas, to provide space and water heating. It also would require existing large buildings to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
The lead sponsors of the climate package are Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George’s) and Dels. Kumar P. Barve (D-Montgomery) and Dana M. Stein (D-Baltimore County).
Most of the opponents to the sweeping climate package have said that the bill’s timeline to electrify buildings is too fast and would significantly increase the demand on the state’s electric grid. But advocates say the bill offers flexibility for the building industry.
