Where do the Candidates Stand on the Environment?
This article takes a look at the stands of the major party candidates for Governor and 1st District Congressional representative in Maryland.
Although both candidates for Congress, Jesse Colvin and Andy Harris, say they favor protecting the Chesapeake Bay, Harris has had more opportunity to act because he has been in Congress for several terms. However, Harris was against full funding for Bay protection before he was for it. When Trump eliminated the $73 million budget from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Chesapeake Bay program, the House Appropriations Committee reduced the Bay program by 18%. Harris is a member of the committee and he voted for the reduction in the Bay protection program. Since much EPA spending is matched locally, the total reduction would have been about $26 million. Eventually, the committee restored the Chesapeake funding bill to its full 2018 level of $73 million.
Another environmental issue is a proposed offshore wind farm at Ocean City, Md. Two companies were granted approval in 2017 to plant 47 turbines 17 miles from the beach, the nation’s largest such effort by far. Both projects passed state and federal reviews. Ocean City town and tourism officials opposed the installation, at least at the 17-mile distance. The opponents claimed the wind turbines will spoil the view from the beach, harm tourism, and reduce property values. In Congress, an effort by Harris to delay the construction succeeded. The wind project is now stalled due mainly to Harris.
Recently, Harris voted to stop the federal government from penalizing states that do not meet pollution reduction goals. He also cosponsored an exemption for agriculture, including poultry farms, from reporting chicken-house emissions into the atmosphere.
In response to these and numerous other votes on environmental issues during his career in the House, Harris received a Lifetime Score of 3% from the Maryland League of Conservation Voters—worse than an “F”.
Jesse Colvin, Harris’s opponent, wants to increase the use of solar power, both to reduce fossil-fuel pollution and to increase the number of solar jobs in the state, now over 5,000. He says, “We cannot afford to lose these jobs for hardworking men and women in our state.”
In the governor’s race, Gov. Larry Hogan and Ben Jealous have similar views on many environmental issues, on both the problems and solutions. Earlier this year, Hogan made Maryland a member of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a group of states that have agreed to meet the greenhouse gas reduction goals of the Paris Accords, after Trump withdrew the nation from that agreement. Jealous criticized Hogan for a half-year delay in joining the alliance.
Hogan has gained a reputation for protecting the environment. However, many environmental groups believe that this reputation is not fully deserved. Early in his administration, the governor blocked some regulations that would have reduced Eastern Shore farms’ use of chicken manure on their fields. He also removed a rule that restricted coal-burning electrical plants from releasing smog-producing air pollution. In 2017, he did sign legislation banning fracking in Maryland. He was praised for eliminating this threat to clean water and clean air. However, the legislation was written and passed by a Democratic General Assembly and there were enough votes to overrule any veto by Governor Hogan. In addition, the natural gas reserves in Maryland are rather small and not as easily worked compared to the reserves in nearby states, especially Pennsylvania. The fracking companies have not been very interested in developing the fields in Maryland as it would be more expensive for less yield than in these richer reserves.
On the other hand, Hogan has worked to promote two pipeline projects, one passing under the Potomac River in Western Maryland and one on the Delmarva Peninsula. These pipelines will transport fracked gas, produced by the same process Hogan banned earlier. Many approve of natural gas because it burns cleaner than coal or oil. However, the extraction of fracked gas releases harmful material into underground water supplies and methane into the atmosphere.
Ben Jealous has criticized the governor’s actions, saying they cater to special interests rather than the public interest. With the proposed fracked natural gas programs, customers will end up paying more for power. In the financial arrangements for the Potomac Pipeline, other gas companies will be subsidized by consumers to expand their pipeline networks.
The Maryland League of Conservation Voters, in a 2017 assessment of the governor’s record, said that Hogan “needs improvement,” citing his veto of a bill to increase the use of solar and wind power in the state, and his opposition to the Red Line in Baltimore, a mass transit project that would reduce automobile pollution. He received better marks for his initiatives for land preservation and open space.
This year, the League endorsed his opponent, Jealous, in the gubernatorial race.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore
