Elected officials in Delaware have proposed a bill that would institute a number of steps that state leaders believe would combat the ongoing effects of climate change.
"So, what are we going to do? Like I said, talk is cheap, you need a plan," Democratic Delaware governor John Carney said recently. "In case you don't know, we have a plan."
That plan, House Bill 99 or Delaware Climate Change Solutions Act of 2023, sets up what could be considered an aggressive plan to push back against the changing climate.
"Make no mistake, the Climate Change Solutions Act is the most consequential piece of legislation that we have seen in years," said Dustyn Thompson, chapter director, of the Delaware chapter of the Sierra Club, an environmental conservation group.
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This act follows Delaware's Climate Action Plan from 2021, and contains a plan for further steps that are hoped will protect the state -- which is the lowest elevation of any state causing many areas to be prone to flooding -- from further impacts of climate change.
The bill, along with legislation intended to follow, includes plans to cut vehicle emissions by 50% by 2030 -- and 100% by 2050 -- and move to make all state owned vehicles emission free by 2040. Also, there would be requirements for commercial buildings to be compatible with solar panels and would require construction of new homes to include infrastructure for electric vehicle charging.
And, legislators hope to increase the number of electric school buses in use throughout the state.
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The bill will need to be voted into law before any of the goals in the plan could be put into place.
It was moved out of the state house's Natural Resources and Energy Committee on Tuesday with a favorable recommendation from committee members.
