O'Malley's stand marks the 1st time a Pres-level candidate has committed to zeroing-out carbon fuels

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Last edited Thu Jun 18, 2015, 10:27 PM - Edit history (1)

Brad Johnson ‏@climatebrad
@GovernorOMalley's stand marks the 1st time a Presidential-level candidate has committed to decarbonization http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/06/18/pope-francis-encyclical-clean-energy-technology-campaign-column/28859409/ … #climate

Mike Carberry ‏@mikecarberry
Martin O'Malley stands with #PopeFrancis on #ClimateChange where are the other #POTUS2016 candidates? http://fb.me/6tAXBZY5f

Kristin Sosanie ‏@ksosanie 3h3 hours ago
#newleadership "Martin O'Malley Just Set An Extremely High Bar On Climate Change For 2016 Democratic Contenders"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/18/omalley-climate-change_n_7616004.html …


WASHINGTON -- Martin O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland and a contender to be the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, called on Thursday for a phase-out of fossil fuels by 2050, citing the "moral obligation" to address climate change.

In an op-ed published in USA Today, O'Malley, who is Catholic, called the encyclical Pope Francis issued on Thursday on climate change a "clarion call for action."

O'Malley's piece also publicly rebuked some of the Obama administration's energy policies and promised to put climate and energy at the center of his presidential campaign.

"We cannot meet the climate challenge with an all-of-the-above energy strategy, or by drilling off our coasts, or by building pipelines that bring oil from tar sands in Canada," O'Malley wrote. The Obama administration has often touted an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy, and earlier this year proposed opening new areas of the Atlantic Ocean to offshore drilling. The administration has not yet issued a decision on whether to approve a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to Texas.

While O'Malley said the Obama administration's policies have made the United States more energy independent, he said the climate challenge requires the country to make "a full, complete transition to renewable energy -- and an end to our reliance on fossil fuels."

read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/18/omalley-climate-change_n_7616004.html

June 18, 2015 Tom Steyer just sent Hillary Clinton a message: I'm getting impatient.

The deep-pocketed Democratic donor who has pushed President Obama and Hillary Clinton on environmental issues took advantage of Pope Francis's climate-change encyclical to call on the next president to act on global warming. And he effusively praised Martin O'Malley for taking the lead.

Steyer thanked O'Malley, the long-shot Democratic 2016 contender, for urging the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline and spelling out a detailed plan of action to confront Earth's rising temperatures. In doing so, Steyer created a clear contrast between O'Malley and Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner who has yet to take a position on the controversial pipeline and so far has not laid out nearly as detailed a vision for fighting global warming.

"Today, Pope Francis issued a powerful and inspirational encyclical on climate change—and I'm happy to see that many of our leaders are already heeding his call to action," Steyer's statement read.

Citing O'Malley's environmental plan, which calls for rejecting Keystone, Steyer added: "This is exactly the type of leadership on climate change the pope, military and business leaders are calling for—and that we need from our next president."

read more: http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/tom-steyer-hillary-clinton-climate-change-encyclical-20150618

Martin O'Malley: Zero out fossil fuels by 2050
American prosperity and our planet are intertwined.

Today, Pope Francis published his first encyclical —an official teaching document to all 1.2 billion Catholics — on the moral imperative of addressing climate change. He is not alone among leaders of world faiths making such a clarion call for action.

We have come a long way as a nation in making ourselves more energy independent. Now is the time to take this progress to the next level — the future of our country and our planet depends on it.

New technologies now put an independent clean energy future decidedly within our reach as a nation.

But reach for it we must.

Clean energy represents the biggest business and job creation opportunity we've seen in a hundred years. And reliance on local, renewable energy sources means a more secure nation and a more stable world.

Given the grave threat that climate change poses to human life on our planet, we have not only a business imperative but a moral obligation to future generations to act immediately and aggressively.

This is why protecting the United States from the devastating impact of climate change — while capitalizing on the job creation opportunity of clean energy — is at the center of my campaign for president.

All of us can acknowledge that with an "all of the above strategy," President Obama has made the United States more energy independent in every category of fuels, including oil and gas.

But America did not land a man on the moon with an "all of the above strategy." It was an engineering challenge.

Making the transition to a clean energy future is also an engineering challenge.

We cannot meet the climate challenge with an all-of-the-above energy strategy, or by drilling off our coasts, or by building pipelines that bring oil from tar sands in Canada.

Instead, we must be intentional and committed to one over-arching goal as a people: a full, complete transition to renewable energy — and an end to our reliance on fossil fuels.

Saving the world is a goal worthy of a great people. It is also good business for the United States of America.

I believe, within 35 years, our country can, and should, be 100% powered by clean energy, supported by millions of new jobs. To reach this goal we must accelerate that transition starting now.

As president, on day one, I would use my executive power to declare the transition to a clean energy future the number one priority of our Federal Government.

I would create a new Clean Energy Jobs Corps to partner with communities to retrofit buildings to be more energy efficient, improve local resiliency, create new green spaces, and restore and expand our forests so they can absorb more greenhouse gases.

I would retrofit federal buildings to the highest efficiency standards and require new federal buildings to be net-zero, require the federal fleet to be subject to low- or zero-emissions purchasing agreements, and require all federally-funded infrastructure projects to meet climate resiliency standards.

As president, I would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to take aggressive action to limit greenhouse gases: expanding rules to other large sources of emissions beyond power plants, adopting a zero-tolerance policy for methane leaks from current oil and gas production, and setting higher energy efficiency standards for new buildings while requiring energy costs to be transparent to building tenants and purchasers.

And I would reject projects like Keystone XL and drilling off our coasts and in Antarctica and Alaska. Furthermore, I would keep domestically produced oil and gas in the U.S., instead of selling it abroad — unless there is a clear strategic security rationale.

Beyond executive actions, I would make clean energy deployment — and employment — a first-order priority.

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.

I would prioritize modernizing our electric grid to evolve to support localized, renewable energy generation, reduce electricity waste and increase security from sabotage or attack.

And I would increase our investment in basic clean energy research so the U.S. can reclaim the lead on energy innovation, including advancing development, deployment, transmission and storage for renewable energy and new efficiency technologies.

The fact is, there is no either/or choice between our prosperity and protecting our planet — we can create a future where there are more jobs, and a future with a livable climate. And there is no future for humankind without a livable climate.

The reality, as I learned in Maryland, is that the two goals are indivisible. Driven by ambitious targets, we created thousands of new jobs while deploying clean energy technology and reducing greenhouse gas pollution by nearly 10% over just seven years.

As the nation, we can do far more — with a bold vision for America's clean energy future and the strong leadership needed to get it done.

read: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/06/18/pope-francis-encyclical-clean-energy-technology-campaign-column/28859409/

[FSogol]

1. K&R. Can you imagine the number of jobs this would create?

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2. a national revolution against climate change

...for our economic well-being and the health of the nation and world.

[Aerows]

10. He is without doubt

a candidate that has proved himself to have the credentials, and most certainly has potential to grow momentum. I'll be right behind him, too.

It's early and I leaned O'Malley before, but then Bernie got some momentum. O'Malley is a fantastic person, and I've not seen YET a thing I disagree with him on. He's the real deal.

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11. Bernie definitely has momentum

...all credit due to his straightforward character and his unabashed progressive stances.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

3. This is the biggest problem in history.

And the most aggressive statement I have read. I would have liked to see something about fracking, although arguably off topic. Still worthy of an A plus.

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4. it is the most aggressive, detailed statement, so far

...he does need a more aggressive stand against fracking, although his approval of fracking regulations in MD, while disappointing anti-fracking activists was stringent and contained a zero-methane leakage standard, as well as other strict requirements.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

5. Re his MD regs:

I read an article (Mother Jones?, Rolling Stone?) stating his fracking regs were a piece of 3-D chess to box in his RW Repub successor, so he may get a complete pass on fracking. Expect as prez he would impede or ban it.

btw, I am in a caucus state-- any caucus state, Sanders and MOM supporters should caucus together, imo.

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6. well, they will at least give our legislature ammunition to block the republican charlatan

...and his goals to drill, baby, drill. They have enough votes to veto anything he proposes on shale oil extraction, and these regulations aren't anything that the industry can use to move forward.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

7. As I recall the regs were geographically limited to further handcuff his successor. n/t

n/t

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8. announced after the election

Last edited Fri Jun 19, 2015, 01:29 AM - Edit history (1)

...so definitely designed to tie up Hogan who doesn't have the clout to push any of his own fracking plans through the legislature.

Of course, as president, O'Malley would be free to execute his own strategy - something, hopefully, nearer to the moratorium he imposed on the process in MD in 2011.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

9. yep. n/t

n/t

[FSogol]

13. True, it will take years for Hogan to undo the restrictions O'Malley placed

on fracking. Without those restrictions, fracking would have begun already.

[Aerows]

12. "the republican charlatan"

That field is so full, I keep expecting Waldo to be somewhere in there.

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14. Sierra Club Applauds Martin O'Malley's push for 100% Clean Energy

Trey Pollard ‏@TreyPollard_SC 18h18 hours ago
Sierra Club Applauds Martin O'Malley's push for 100% Clean Energy: http://j.mp/1GuWtia

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- This morning, former Maryland Governor and current 2016 Presidential candidate Martin O’Malley outlined his plans to curb the climate crisis and grow the clean energy economy in a USA Today editorial. O’Malley’s plan includes a call to transition the nation off fossil fuels to a 100% clean energy economy by 2050, alongside transition assistance for affected workers and communities.

In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:

"The Sierra Club applauds Governor O’Malley for driving the conversation toward the critically important goal of transitioning off of dirty fossil fuels to a healthy and just economy powered by 100% clean energy.

“There is no question that momentum toward this essential goal is building rapidly across the nation and the globe. Polls make it clear that Americans want climate action and strongly prefer clean energy over fossil fuels.

“Meanwhile, leaders worldwide are committing to new steps to cut carbon pollution while the marketplace and public demand are ensuring clean energy solutions rapidly replace fossil fuels to create new jobs and new prosperity. The Sierra Club and our 2.4 million members and supporters are fighting everyday to accelerate toward a 100% clean energy economy, and we are pleased to see leaders like Governor O’Malley setting their sights on a prosperous and safe clean energy economy that works for all."

read: http://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2015/06/sierra-club-applauds-martin-o-malley-s-push-100-clean-energy

[RiverLover]

15. I'm liking him more & more! I've waited a LONG time to hear a leader say...

"And there is no future for humankind without a livable climate."

Thank you Mr O'Malley!!

[Andy823]

16. This is what we need

Talk is cheap, but actions speak volumes. He has a record of getting things done, and he has a vision for what needs to be done at the national level. True it won't be easy with republicans in charge of the House and Senate, but that can be solved by voting in more democrats to replace the crazy right wing extremists who are in control now. We can take back the Senate, and increase our numbers in the House, if we can get voters to get out and vote! When democrats vote, republicans lose, and I think O'Malley can energize the voters once they hear his message and see his record of getting things done.

[RiverLover]

17. Kick! Here's his excellent Renewable Energy Jobs Plan~

http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/omalleyenergy.pdf#page=1&zoom=auto,-73,798

Because saving (our dying) life on earth is really the only thing that matters.

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18. (EcoWatch) O’Malley takes a position on the Keystone XL: he says he would kill the project.

While the Pope sucks up all the media attention with his climate encyclical, Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley has released a position paper on the environment that deserves more attention, even if he’s not frontrunner Hillary Clinton or progressive idol Bernie Sanders. In the paper, the former Maryland governor burnished his credentials as a climate hawk, laying out his plan for addressing climate change. The paper revealed O’Malley’s unequivocal opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, offshore and Arctic drilling, and fracking, instead promoting a rapid transition to clean energy.

“Given the grave threat that climate change poses to human life on our planet, we have not only a business imperative but a moral obligation to future generations to act immediately and aggressively,” said O’Malley. “This is why protecting the United States from the devastating impact of climate change — while capitalizing on the job creation opportunity of clean energy — is at the center of my campaign for president.”

“Today, Pope Francis published his first encyclical — an official teaching document to all 1.2 billion Catholics — on the moral imperative of addressing climate change,” O’Malley wrote in a USA Today editorial yesterday promoting the release of his paper. “He is not alone among leaders of world faiths making such a clarion call for action. We have come a long way as a nation in making ourselves more energy independent. Now is the time to take this progress to the next level—the future of our country and our planet depends on it.”

read more: http://www.alternet.org/environment/presidential-candidate-martin-omalley-we-can-and-should-be-100-powered-renewable-energy