Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Friday announced the state would analyze how much climate change has cost the state — reviving questions about shifting those costs onto fossil fuel companies through a “climate superfund” law.
Helmed by Comptroller Brooke Lierman, the study will assess the total costs associated with greenhouse gases emitted in Maryland, including future adaptation needs. It also will analyze “whether there would be a cost passed on to taxpayers” for making the biggest fossil fuel companies “compensate the State for climate change.”
Moore, a Democrat, contrasted the state’s study of climate impacts against the Trump administration’s attacks on renewable energy.
“While the federal government has spent the past year rolling back climate protections and driving up energy costs, Maryland is taking a responsible step toward understanding the true price tag of climate damage,” Moore said in a statement. “This study will give us a clear, data-driven look at the real burden taxpayers are shouldering as climate change drives more extreme and costly weather events.”
