The
Frederick News-Post
We must
protect Frederick residents from fossil fuel pollution
·
By Tim Whitehouse Special to The News-Post
·
Nov 20, 2016
Increasing
our renewable energy is a small price to pay for a healthier Maryland.
Every day I work with health professionals who are trying their
best to care for us. These health professionals know that most of the factors
that affect our health occur outside medical institutions. That’s why I hope
that the Maryland General Assembly will override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of the
Clean Jobs Act.
The Clean Energy Jobs Act would increase the use the use of
non-polluting solar and wind energy and reduce our reliance of the burning fossil
fuels such as coal and natural gas. Our reliance on fossil fuels causes climate
change and releases pollution into the air. Air pollution contributes to bad
air quality days, higher risks of asthma attacks and causes hundreds of
thousands of missed work or school days. It is responsible for thousands of
premature deaths and is a well-established cause of lung cancer, respiratory
illness and cardiovascular disease.
Those especially at risk include children, women, the elderly,
low-income communities and people with existing respiratory health problems.
Communities of color and low-income households are more likely to live near
facilities that emit pollution, and as a consequence face higher cancer risks
from hazardous air pollutants emitted by traditional power plants.
Pediatricians and parents have reason for concern — Maryland’s
childhood asthma rates are well above the national average (12 percent versus
8.6 percent), largely due to both indoor and outdoor pollutants.
The Clean Energy Jobs Act will help address some of these health
problems by committing Maryland to receive 25 percent of its electricity from
renewable sources by 2020 — an increase from the current goal of 20 percent by
2022.
Health professionals know health and social issues combine in
ways that significantly affect a patient’s life expectancy, productivity and
quality of life. An increase in renewable energy standards will not only lead
to better overall health, but it will help to establish Maryland as a regional
hub for private investment in the fast-growing solar and wind industries. This
will result in huge benefits to Maryland’s economy, public health and social
welfare. One study estimates that the Clean Air Jobs Act will increase economic
growth by up to $600 million per year.
To promote the health of all Marylanders, achieve health care
savings and address climate change, the General Assembly should support the
Clean Energy Jobs Act in 2017. There’s too much at stake to wait.
Tim Whitehouse lives in Poolesville, Maryland, with his wife and
three children. He is the executive director of Chesapeake Physicians for
Social Responsibility (Chesapeake PSR).
Donations can be sent
to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD
21218. Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives."
Eugene Victor Debs
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