In 2011, the Maryland General Assembly and then-Governor O’Malley made a huge mistake: declaring trash incineration “renewable energy” and dedicating subsidies to incinerators that should have gone toward solar and wind. Now, after years of organizing and advocacy from communities fighting incinerators, Maryland is poised to fix this costly mistake by passing the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act (HB220/SB10), sponsored by Senators Ferguson, Lewis Young, and Simonaire, and Delegate Stewart.
Maryland created the Renewable Portfolio Standard to increase the amount of renewable energy on the grid, to deliver long-term decreased emissions and a healthier environment. Utilities subsidize renewable energy through this program increasingly over time.
Trash incineration is among the dirtiest ways to produce electricity. Incinerators emit more greenhouse gas emissions per unit of electricity produced than any other power source, even coal plants. Incinerators emit mercury and lead into the air nearby communities breathe, which are not safe for human exposure at any level.
Subsidizing trash incineration isn’t getting Maryland electricity that delivers decreased greenhouse gas emissions or a healthier environment. But Maryland is wasting a lot of money profiting trash incinerators, because right now, trash incineration counts as “renewable” in the RPS.
We’re wasting more and more money over time subsidizing trash incineration.
2020: $11.5 million
2021: $14.9 million
2022: $24.7 million
2023: $24.3 million
When Maryland passes the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act, those funds will be available to support real renewable energy. Either utilities will buy RECs to replace the RECs they had been buying from incinerators, supporting more renewable energy products, or utilities will pay Alternative Compliance Payments into the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, which state law reserves for low-income renewable energy projects.
Passing the Reclaim Renewable Energy Act will make more money available for real renewable energy at no cost to the state budget, and end this longstanding environmental and economic injustice of calling trash incineration renewable or clean energy. Let's get it done!
Learn more:
- PLOS Climate, June 2023: Waste incinerators undermine clean energy goals
- Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, February 2024: Maryland's Energy Subsidies are Going Up in Flames
- Baltimore Sun, March 2024: Climate advocates hope to clean up Maryland's renewable energy by taking out the trash
- Baltimore Brew, March 2024: Advocates call on Moore, Ferguson, Jones to support an end to incineration subsidy
- Baltimore Sun, October 2024: Senate president will sponsor bill to end trash incinerator subsidy
- Baltimore Banner, October 2024: State may extinguish green energy subsidies for Baltimore trash incinerator