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Wednesday, May 07, 2014

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY SIGNS BILLS TO PREPARE FOR IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND EXTREME WEATHER

ANNAPOLIS, MD -- Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law two pieces of legislation that will help the State prepare for the impacts of climate change and extreme weather in Maryland. The first, the Bay Acidification Bill, will create a Task Force to evaluate and address the effects of changing chemistry in the Chesapeake Bay and other Maryland waterways. The second, the CoastSmart Bill, will ensure the State follows standards to make safe and fiscally-wise investments when building or updating State agency structures located in vulnerable coastal areas.

“As severe weather events grow in size and impact, and our Bay’s resources become threatened, the costs of inaction to our economy, society and environment will only grow exponentially,” said Governor O’Malley. “This legislation helps us to get out in front of these very real, very important climate issues, and to secure the health, safety and future of our State and its citizens.”

Underscoring the critical importance of preparing for these impacts, the Third National Climate Assessment, released today by the Obama Administration, confirmed that global warming is contributing to the intensity, frequency and duration of extreme weather events, including “superstorms” such as Hurricane Sandy, extreme precipitation events, heat waves, and coastal flooding due to heightened sea level rise and storm surge.

The Bay Acidification Bill (House Bill 118) will allow for the State to devise a team, or Task Force, of State leaders, and water quality, fishery and climate experts, to address how changing Bay chemistry negatively impacts Maryland’s coast and shellfish industry. The Task Force will study and assess water quality in Maryland’s Chesapeake and coastal bays, and review ocean acidification studies and findings from other states. The group will then present to policymakers recommendations for monitoring and addressing acidification, and its effects on Maryland’s commercial fishery and aquaculture industry by January 1, 2015.

The Task Force will include DNR Secretary Joe Gill and MDE Secretary Bob Summers, or their designees along with representatives from the State’s aquaculture industry, the Maryland Watermen’s Association, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

The Coast Smart Council Bill (House Bill 615) directs that all new and reconstructed State buildings be planned and built to avoid or minimize future flood damage, and creates the Coast Smart Council to oversee the state infrastructure projects. The law will ensure that the State makes safe and fiscally wise capital investments in the future by following siting and design standards for new and rebuilt State agency structures located in vulnerable areas. The bill does not affect schools, roads or local government projects, only structures built by State agencies.

Governor O’Malley is currently serving as a member of President Obama’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, charged with advising the President on how federal agencies can best help states and communities understand, prepare for, and reduce the impacts of climate change. Under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, Maryland has engaged in nation-leading efforts in both addressing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing the State and its communities for the impacts of climate change. Governor O’Malley’s leadership in efforts and programs such as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan, the Climate Change and Coast Smart Construction Executive Order, Marylanders Plant Trees, landmark no-net loss of forest legislation; CoastSmart Communities earned him the League of Conservation Voters Climate Change Vision Award last year.

6 comments:

  1. What a joke! another task force is just what we need. Still have not got all the help as promised to areas like Crisfield Maryland after Sandy.So now you wanna make another crap agency to maybe make more regulations that hurt people who make their living on the water. Like those in Crisfield Maryland!Its the same old game with these jokers!..... We the local people are wise to you your agenda and presidential ambitions O"Malley ....THE ANSWER TO 1984 IS 1776 BABY!..

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  2. They continue forward with the global warming hoax...back in the 1970's we were going to freeze and starve to death because of the new ice age that was coming in just a few years...

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  3. Remember the 70's ?

    The same scientists and liberals in office cried global cooling is coming. Do you remember? 1.) 1970 - Colder Winters Held Dawn of New Ice Age - Scientists See Ice Age In the Future (The Washington Post, January 11, 1970)

    2.) 1970 - Is Mankind Manufacturing a New Ice Age for Itself? (L.A. Times, January 15, 1970)

    3.) 1970 - New Ice Age May Descend On Man (Sumter Daily Item, January 26, 1970)

    4.) 1970 - Pollution Prospect A Chilling One (Owosso Argus-Press, January 26, 1970)

    5.) 1970 - Pollution’s 2-way ‘Freeze’ On Society (Middlesboro Daily News, January 28, 1970)

    6.) 1970 - Cold Facts About Pollution (The Southeast Missourian, January 29, 1970)

    7.) 1970 - Pollution Could Cause Ice Age, Agency Reports (St. Petersburg Times, March 4, 1970)

    8.) 1970 - Pollution Called Ice Age Threat (St. Petersburg Times, June 26, 1970)

    9.) 1970 - Dirt Will .Bring New Ice Age (The Sydney Morning Herald, October 19, 1970)

    10.) 1971 - Ice Age Refugee Dies Underground (The Montreal Gazette, Febuary 17, 1971)

    11.) 1971 - U.S. Scientist Sees New Ice Age Coming (The Washington Post, July 9, 1971)

    12.) 1971 - Ice Age Around the Corner (Chicago Tribune, July 10, 1971)

    13.) 1971 - New Ice Age Coming - It’s Already Getting Colder (L.A. Times, October 24, 1971)

    14.) 1971 - Another Ice Age? Pollution Blocking Sunlight (The Day, November 1, 1971)

    15.) 1971 - Air Pollution Could Bring An Ice Age (Harlan Daily Enterprise, November 4, 1971)

    16.) 1972 - Air pollution may cause ice age (Free-Lance Star, February 3, 1972)

    17.) 1972 - Scientist Says New ice Age Coming (The Ledger, February 13, 1972)

    18.) 1972 - Scientist predicts new ice age (Free-Lance Star, September 11, 1972)

    19.) 1972 - British expert on Climate Change says Says New Ice Age Creeping Over Northern Hemisphere (Lewiston Evening Journal, September 11, 1972)

    20.) 1972 - Climate Seen Cooling For Return Of Ice Age (Portsmouth Times, September 11, 1972)

    21.) 1972 - New Ice Age Slipping Over North (Press-Courier, September 11, 1972)

    22.) 1972 - Ice Age Begins A New Assault In North (The Age, September 12, 1972)

    23.) 1972 - Weather To Get Colder (Montreal Gazette, September 12, 1972)

    24.) 1972 - British climate expert predicts new Ice Age (The Christian Science Monitor, September 23, 1972)

    25.) 1972 - Scientist Sees Chilling Signs of New Ice Age (L.A. Times, September 24, 1972)

    26.) 1972 - Science: Another Ice Age? (Time Magazine, November 13, 1972)

    27.) 1973 - The Ice Age Cometh (The Saturday Review, March 24, 1973)

    28.) 1973 - Weather-watchers think another ice age may be on the way (The Christian Science Monitor, December 11, 197

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  4. Wow! They said that over 1800 years ago? Amazing how wrong some people can be.

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