Climate hawk Martin O'Malley
In an op-ed in
USA Today, Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley
set the highest clean-energy goal of anyone running for the White House Thursday, a complete switch to renewable sources in 35 years. He challenged President Obama's "all-of-the-above" energy policy. A Catholic, O'Malley also referenced the climate encyclical Pope Francis issued from the Vatican today:
I would set a national, cross-sector Renewable Electricity Standard so our nation is powered by 100% clean energy by 2050, and a national goal of doubling energy efficiency within 15 years. Many states like California and Maryland are already leading the way forward for the United States.
I would fight for federal legislation for a cap on carbon emissions from all sources, with proceeds from permits returned to lower and middle-class families, transition assistance, and new jobs with the Clean Energy Corps.
As president, I would support a Clean Energy Financing Authority to support projects to increase efficiency and resiliency upgrades in cities, towns, and rural communities nationwide.
Only California Gov. Jerry Brown's goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030 comes anywhere near O'Malley's goal, and it only affects one state, not the entire nation.
O'Malley did not become a climate hawk just yesterday. In 2009, he signed into law a state goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 2006 levels by 2020. He has pushed other environmental actions as well, including cleaning up Chesapeake Bay and reducing methane emissions from landfills by boosting composting.
In an article by Ben Adler at Grist last December:
I deal with a lot of politicians in my work as a climate advocate,” says Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Martin O’Malley, more than any politician I know, really loses sleep over climate change. He is deeply concerned about climate change and his actions over the last eight years reveal that. He’s pushed the envelope more than anyone I’ve seen. He’s the kind of politician where his staff comes in and says, ‘Here’s what we propose to do,’ and most politicians would say, ‘Let’s cut that down a little,’ and Martin O’Malley regularly says, ‘We can’t do better than that? Push a little harder?’”
Proof, of course, is in the pudding. And O'Malley has a very slim chance of becoming the person in the Oval Office who can turn his high goal into reality. But he has, as environmental journalist Kate Sheppard at Huffington Post wrote, set a very high bar for all good candidates to shoot for, and not just those seeking the presidency.