MD Residents Show Support for Environmental Protections at HoCo Town Hall

June 3, 2017, Columbia, Md. – About 300 Howard County residents, concerned about recent changes in federal environmental policy, gathered in Columbia for a town hall meeting on environmental issues, hosted by IndivisibleHoCoMD. Organizers said Maryland families and businesses alike depend on clean air and clean water and access to vibrant outdoor spaces for recreation. As a coastal state, Maryland is also particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which have severe implications for the economy and the lives of average Marylanders.

In the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision this week to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, a panel of state and national experts addressed how the president’s positions will affect Maryland. Among other policy changes, the president’s proposed budget would:

• Cut the EPA budget by 31 percent;
• Lay off 20 percent of the EPA staff;
• Eliminate all federal funding for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup, including $9 million for Maryland;
• Reduce the federal radon program by 80 percent. Maryland has high radon levels.

Gov. Larry Hogan was invited to attend the town hall meeting to speak about his environmental priorities, but he declined the invitation.

“During all these hectic, confusing, and infuriating months, the people of Maryland asked our leaders to speak up and speak out against dumb, cruel and in some instances inhumane actions,” said Hiruy Hadgu, Indivisible HoCoMD’s environmental group lead. “Most have spoken out. The one individual missing in action during this whole time is Governor Hogan.”

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh provided the keynote address, followed by panelists State Sen. Guy Guzzone; former EPA staff member Charles Garlow; Elaine Lutz, a staff attorney at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; and Benjamin Todd Jealous, former president of the NAACP.

President Trump announced this week that he would withdraw the United States from the international climate agreement drafted in Paris France. In response, several state governors announced the formation of an alliance of states that will remain faithful to the Paris agreement. So far California, New York, Washington, and Massachusetts have joined what they call the U.S. Climate Alliance. Attorney General Frosh announced: “We issued today a statement urging Governor Hogan to join the U.S. Climate Alliance.”

“The good news,” Frosh said, “is because your leaders in the General Assembly gave us authority to sue the federal government without having Governor Hogan on board. We’re fighting back.” He said the Attorney General’s office is joining lawsuits against undoing the Mercury and Air Toxics Rule, and the Clean Power Plan Regulations that lower CO2 emissions.

“The AG office is going to continue to fight back against Trump’s policies. We’re going to sue them. We are going to do everything in our power to protect the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s natural resources. We will continue to fight to make sure every man, woman, and child in this state has clean air to breathe and clean water to drink,” Frosh concluded.

Several speakers discussed the severe cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency proposed by the Trump Administration. In addition cuts to EPA across the board, the President’s budget proposes eliminating the Chesapeake Bay Program that focuses on bay restoration. Attorney Elaine Lutz said, “When you look at the investment in the Chesapeake Bay Program, you could not make a smarter investment.” She said the return on the investment greatly outweighs the cost and added that a restored bay would return $22 billion a year to the region.

Speaker Benjamin Jealous had announced earlier this week that he was running for governor of Maryland. Jealous said the state should fill the void where the federal government is failing to protect the environment. “What [Governor Hogan] said yesterday was unacceptable, saying if he were President he wouldn’t have pulled out of the Paris Agreement, Jealous remarked. “Well, you are governor, so why don’t you join with the other governors? And when I’m governor, we will.”

IndivisibleHoCoMD is one of thousands of groups formed around the country after the 2016 election to resist racism, xenophobia, authoritarianism, and corruption. Most of the group’s members are Howard County residents who were not involved in politics prior to President Trump’s election, and came together because of a shared concern about the threats President Trump poses to our country and the Constitution. IndivisibleHoCoMD is not affiliated with any political party and will work with anyone who shares members’ values and concerns.

IndivisibleHoCoMD’s efforts to support environmental protections will carry beyond today’s town hall meeting. They are urging everyone to:

1. Call Governor Hogan and ask him to advocate for Maryland by opposing the Trump budget cuts and asking him to join the U.S. Climate Alliance.
2. Get registered to vote and encourage others to register,
3. Join environmental groups and become empowered by leading or working on initiatives to protect our air and water.