This 2022 Maryland General Assembly Session was a whirlwind of activity, and we have you to thank for helping make such a difference. From all of us at Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, thank you for caring about our home.

What did we focus on in 2022?  Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake focused primarily on legislation aimed towards improving our communities ability to fight for a clean space to live, for the protection and preservation of land, and to help mitigate climate change’s effects on our communities and the Chesapeake Bay.  Not everything passed, but you sure helped make a difference! 

Join us for this special recap of the legislative session and what we were able to accomplish together.

Interested in checking out the recording for our 2022 Faith Debrief of the Maryland General Assembly Session?

Thank you from us all at Interfaith Power & Light DMV, the Maryland Campaign for Environmental Human Rights, and Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake for your support on these important pieces of legislation. See you again in 2023!

WATCH HERE

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We made some waves!

This year Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake (IPC) worked on two priorities: the Environmental Human Rights Amendment (EHRA), and Maryland the Beautiful Act (MtB). We were proudly able to additionally support the Climate Solutions Now Act (CSN) in its final efforts across the finish line!

To support our two top priorities, IPC staff were able to help bolster a coalition of Maryland environmental partners in support of these efforts; spearheaded respectively by the Maryland Environmental Human Rights Campaign and the Chesapeake Conservancy. These two coalitions served as a rapid-response task force, able to respond to the fast pace of the legislative floor and to serve as a communications-exchange so that we could help keep you informed!

In total, We made some pretty big impacts together! 

Our online-events engaged hundreds of excited advocacy volunteers, and our own social media campaigns were able to reach thousands. IPC was able to help prepare and support the delivery of three live testimonials, and was able to additionally assist 60 individuals representing a huge variety of congregations of faith with written letters & testimonials on behalf of our advocacy efforts, also including written testimony from the Baltimore-Washington Conference of UMC representing 603 churches, and Maryland Catholics for our Common Home representing 28 churches. 

Check out the Op-Ed from our Board Chair Al Todd from Maryland Matters in support of the Climate Solutions Now Act!

Check out the Op-Ed from Rebbecca Rehr in the Baltimore Sun, all about the Environmental Human Rights Amendment!

We know that the story didn’t stop there, but continued with what you were able to accomplish with what we provided! Thank you, sincerely, to each and every one of you who was able to make a difference in this advocacy session. Whether by spreading word of these amazing bills, or by picking up the phone and talking with your legislators, you made a big difference. 

What Passed?

Climate Solutions Now Act (SB-0528 / HB-0708)!

What was the CSN Act? Direct from the MD General Assembly webpage on the CSN-2022, the Climate Solutions now act will “require the State to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions through the alteration of statewide greenhouse gas emissions goals, the establishment of a net-zero statewide greenhouse gas emissions goal, the development of certain energy efficiency and emissions reduction requirements for certain buildings, and requiring electric companies to increase their annual incremental gross energy savings; requiring the Governor to provide funding of at least $500,000 for the Maryland Healthy Soils Program in fiscal years 2024 through 2028; etc.”

We support this legislation for a huge variety of reasons, but we especially love that it would help support energy savings and mitigate greenhouse gasses from homes (and congregations!) across Maryland!

The 2022 Climate Solutions Now Act is now law, and will soon be making big ripples in Marylander's ability to mitigate the effects of climate change on our communities, and the Chesapeake Bay.

What did NOT pass?

Regrettably, neither the Maryland Environmental Human Rights Amendment nor the Maryland the Beautiful Act progressed passed House & Senate committees in this session. As such, the legislature will not pass either this 2022 session. Your support helped us send a strong signal to legislators that we'll be back next year, even stronger!

Concerns were not adequately discussed, and ultimately both bills lost momentum; with legislators focusing on each turning to alternate opportunities which were more likely to pass. The MtB Act and the MEHRA will most likely return in 2023! Stay tuned for how you can help influence these important pieces of legislation. 

Want to learn more about the Maryland the Beautiful Act? CLICK HERE

Want to learn more about the MD Environmental Human Rights Amendment? CLICK HERE

It was a BIG session, with lot's of hurdles! Thank you from all of us at Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake for your continued efforts to advocate for a restored Chesapeake Bay!

We appreciate everything you do, and we are so proud of what we were able to accomplish together in the 2022 Maryland General Assembly session. We’ll see you again in 2023 as we continue our efforts to restore communities and heal sacred waters.