MD Lawmakers Call for Passage of RENEW Act for Taxpayer Relief and Climate Protection
Advocates Gathered at the Capitol to Spotlight Maryland Extreme Weather Impacts and Support Bill to Shift Climate Costs from Taxpayers to Large Fossil Fuel Companies
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Maryland lawmakers, advocates, and residents today rallied at the opening day of the 2025 Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis, calling for passage of a new taxpayer relief and climate protection bill: the Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act. This transformative legislation will generate billions of dollars in new revenue to support critical climate resilience projects, including flood management and disaster preparedness. Currently, Maryland taxpayers are paying a de facto “climate tax” for extreme weather impacts. The RENEW Act seeks to shift this responsibility onto the largest, most polluting international fossil fuel companies.
“As Maryland faces the undeniable realities of climate change — from catastrophic flooding in Ellicott City to rising sea levels across our coastlines — our taxpayers are being asked to shoulder the financial burden of damages they didn’t cause. The RENEW Act is about fairness and accountability,” said Senator Katie Fry-Hester (District 9), the lead Senate sponsor of the RENEW Act. “By holding the largest polluters responsible for their role in driving this crisis, we can fund the resilient infrastructure Maryland urgently needs while lifting the burden from hardworking families. This is our opportunity to lead by example and build a stronger, more resilient future for generations to come.”
By passing the RENEW Act, Maryland could soon join Vermont and New York in enacting legislation that requires fossil fuel companies to pay for the environmental damage they have caused. As momentum builds for this historic legislation, the rally also brought attention to other vital climate initiatives like the Better Buildings Act and the Affordable, Abundant Clean Energy Act, which seek to advance clean energy solutions and safeguard Maryland’s future.
“[The RENEW Act] is a bill with a simple premise, if you make a mess, you clean it up,” said Delegate David Fraser Hidalgo (District 15), the lead House sponsor of the Act. “There is irrefutable proof that many of the largest oil companies were aware of the long-term effects of burning fossil fuels as early as 1968 but chose to conceal this scientific evidence.”
CLICK HERE to view a recording of the live-streamed event.
Signs and banners at the rally outside the Capitol vividly depicted the stark reality of Maryland’s climate crisis: images of the catastrophic flooding in Annapolis, the devastation of recent wildfires, and rising sea levels threatening Maryland’s Eastern Shore. These visual reminders underscored the urgency of the situation and the necessity for action to protect the state’s most vulnerable communities — especially Black and Brown populations, the elderly, the underinsured, and children — who are disproportionately impacted by extreme weather events and the more insidious impacts of climate change such as extreme heat.
“The Polluters Pay Movement is rooted in the fact that the public cannot afford to pay for all of the adaptation measures necessary to protect families from climate impacts,” said Brittany Baker, Maryland Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund. “2024 is likely to be the hottest year on record. The climate crisis is in full swing. The RENEW Act is a reasonable and necessary way to protect taxpayers as we confront this new reality.”
“For far too long, fossil fuel companies have prioritized profits over the well-being of our planet. We find ourselves contending with record-breaking heat, storms, and wildfires. The RENEW Act ensures that the biggest polluters pay their fair share to prepare for and recover from escalating natural disasters. While our state faces a deficit more significant than what we experienced during the Great Recession, this bill gives us an option to safeguard our budget and protect our environment” said Delegate Adrian Boafo (District 23) lead House co-sponsor of the RENEW Act.
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Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state, and national levels to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement toward clean energy solutions — focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.
