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Martin O`Malley on Energy & Oil
Democrat
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American jobs agenda to build a new renewable energy future
Climate change is real. We must create an American jobs agenda to build a new renewable energy future. We must launch a new agenda to rebuild America's cities as places of justice and opportunity for all.
And if we take these actions, the American Dream will live again.
Source: 2016 presidential campaign website, MartinOMalley.com
, May 30, 2015
End the automatic gas tax increase
After siphoning a billion dollars from the Transportation Trust Fund, a decision was made to enact the largest gas tax increase in state history. This legislation also included language that would automatically increase taxes every single year without it
ever having a coming up for a vote.Marylanders deserve the transparency to know how their elected leaders vote every time the state takes a bigger share of their hard-earned dollars.
This is a regressive tax that hurts struggling Maryland families and our most vulnerable, and which adds to the cost of almost everything.
These automatic tax increases should be repealed, and we will submit legislation to do so.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Maryland Legislature
, Feb 4, 2015
Raise gas tax by 2% per year, to rebuild infrastructure
Today, with gasoline at $3.50 per gallon, our primary source of revenue for transportation is the same flat 23 cents it was when gas was $1.08 per gallon. Meanwhile, it costs more to paint the Bay Bridge today than it did to build the first span.
As the Baltimore Sun editorializes, "If Maryland continues to embrace a 1992 tax rate, it will have to settle for crumbling 1992-era infrastructure."No one has wanted to ask people to do more.
The best remaining option in my view is to repeal the current sales tax exemption on a gallon of gasoline; phasing it out by two percent a year, with a "braking mechanism" to protect consumers in the event that the price of gas spikes.
An enhanced investment on this scale would allow us to create 7,500 new jobs building needed roads, bridges, and public transit throughout our State.
Source: 2012 Maryland State of the State Address
, Feb 3, 2012
Maryland needs a long-term vision to make energy affordable
Martin O’Malley understands that Maryland’s hard-working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and small business owners are being squeezed by skyrocketing energy and fuel costs, making it more difficult to make ends meet.
They believe that Maryland needs a comprehensive, long-term vision to make energy affordable.
Source: 2006 Gubernatorial website, martinomalley.com, “Issues”
, Nov 7, 2006
Supports tradable emissions permits for greenhouse gases.
O`Malley adopted the manifesto, "A New Agenda for the New Decade":
Modernize Environmental Policies
National environmental policies, mostly developed in the 1970s, have been remarkably successful in improving the quality of our air and water. But we face a new set of environmental challenges for which the old strategy of centralized, command-and-control regulation is no longer effective.
The old regime of prohibitions and fines levied on polluters is not well equipped to tackle problems such as climate change, contamination of water from such sources as farm and suburban runoff, loss of open lands, and sprawl. Without relaxing our determination to maintain and enforce mandatory national standards for environmental quality, it is time to create more effective, efficient, and flexible ways of achieving those standards.
For example, a system of tradable emissions permits would give factories, power plants, and other sources of air pollution and greenhouse gases a powerful incentive not only to meet but to exceed environmental standards. Decisions about solving local environmental problems should be shifted from Washington to communities, without weakening national standards. Finally, to empower citizens and communities to make sound decisions, government should invest in improving the quality and availability of information about environmental conditions.
Goals for 2010 - Create a domestic emissions trading system to reduce greenhouse gases by 10 percent.
- Promote innovative agreements for community and regional partnerships to achieve national environmental goals and standards through local strategies.
- End government subsidies for sprawl.
Source: The Hyde Park Declaration 00-DLC10 on Aug 1, 2000
Page last updated: Aug 18, 2016