Manufacturing a Stronger, More Sustainable Future

This week, I had the opportunity to address a group of over 200 Maryland manufacturers on the topic of energy efficiency– and the great strides we’re making together as a State to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, boost renewable energy, and drive down energy consumption. This group of innovators is at the forefront of an era of breathtaking change; they’re leading the way, helping us to accelerate the innovation curve so we can strengthen and grow our green economy.

It’s all about how we live, and fuel ourselves, on a planet with finite resources — and our collective moral imperative to take action, embrace market trends, and mold a better, more sustainable future for the next generation.

Climate change is transforming our planet in ways that continue to evolve. This past Monday, we took a critical step toward combating this growing threat when President Obama announced new regulations that go after a principal driver of climate change — carbon emissions. Hailed as one of the boldest policy initiatives on climate change in decades, the President’s proposal empowers states to fight carbon dioxide pollution in a way that best suits their regions. I commend the President for his resolute leadership.

This follows a model that we’ve used here in Maryland. More than seven years ago we joined 9 other states (currently 8 states after New Jersey exited) in the Northeast to form the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Since that time, we’ve come to realize that this would serve as the blueprint for addressing the monumental effects of climate change.
All of this speaks to our commitment to govern in a fundamentally different way: setting goals, measuring performance, hitting deadlines, and getting results. Many of our 16 strategic goals in Maryland focus on sustainability. Among them are our goals (1) to reduce electricity consumption 15 percent by 2015, (2) toincrease Maryland’s in-State renewable generation to 20 percent by 2022, and (3) to reduce Maryland’s greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020.

By making the better choice to take real action, we now rank in the top ten states for energy efficiency, up from our 47th place showing seven years ago. Baltimore is ranked by Ford Motor Company as one of the top 25 most electric vehicle ready cities America. With this work, we’re changing our energy grid for the better and we now have the 6th highest concentration of green, family-sustaining jobs along with the fastest rate of green job growth in the nation. These are tangible outcomes that demonstrate the important progress we’ve made to protect the land we love.

Here in Maryland, we believe in setting goals, measuring progress and delivering results. The time for action is here; the good news is that we finally have the tools we need to really make a difference.