Maryland’s landmark climate superfund cost assessment bill is now on its way to Governor Moore’s desk 

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland General Assembly committed today to ‘Make Polluters Pay’ by passing a historic bill mandating a comprehensive study of the cumulative financial impact of climate change in Maryland. The new bill is an updated version of the Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather or RENEW Act — now renamed the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: Total Assessed Cost of Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Study and Reports (HB128/SB149). It is now headed to Governor Wes Moore’s desk for his signature.

Passage of this bill in Maryland is very timely, as millions of Americans are currently reeling from historic flooding and rampant tornadoes from extreme weather across the country.

Maryland’s expert study will be completed by December 1, 2026, and is expected to show billions of dollars of harm to the state from extreme weather driven by fossil fuel combustion. Advocates are committed to returning to the 2027 legislative session with a robust enforcement bill that will require the largest, most polluting fossil fuel companies to pay a portion of these expertly determined costs into Maryland’s climate adaptation projects. 

The study will also include an economic analysis to ensure that the covered entities in the bill, fossil fuel companies that emitted over 1 billion tons of greenhouse gases between 1994 and 2023, will not be able to pass on the costs of the enforcement phase of Maryland’s climate superfund bill to Maryland consumers.

“To accelerate on the road to making polluters pay, we need full visibility. This study – the first step of the RENEW Act – will help us spotlight the true financial burden of climate change on our communities. It’ll ensure that we have the data we need to protect Maryland taxpayers and build a more resilient future despite drastic cuts to federal disaster funding,” says Brittany Baker, Maryland Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund. 

The Trump Administration has gutted critical climate and disaster funding, leaving states like Maryland to fend for themselves. FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund has already faced severe shortfalls, and billions have been slashed from climate resilience programs. Meanwhile, federal support for flood mitigation and energy efficiency has also been drastically cut, forcing state and local governments to cover the rising costs of extreme weather. The study ensures Maryland can quantify these costs and protect our taxpayers from the growing financial burden of federal abandonment.

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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.