The Delaware House passed the 2050 Delaware Climate Solutions Act on a largely party-line vote.
The bill would put into the Delaware code a planning process to guide the state to meet those goals and require the state to draft and implement a climate action plan that would serve as a framework to guide state agencies to meet the goals. The plan would be updated every five years.
Two Republican House members joined Democrats in voting for the bill.
Delaware Public Media reported that Rep. Richard Collins, R-Millsboro pleaded with Democrats to vote against the measure. Collins has long criticized Delaware climate policies, claiming that emissions standards will be costly to consumers and businesses.
The legislation did not pass last year after business interests indicated that they did not have sufficient time to study the bill and the Carney Administration dropped its support.
Sponsored by Democratic Reps. Debra Heffernan, and Sophie Phillips, and Sen. Stephanie Hansen, House Bill 99 would set net emissions reduction targets of 50% from the 2005 baseline by 2030 and a 100% reduction by 2050.
“We are in the throes of a climate crisis that is impacting every aspect of our daily lives. Roads that never flooded before are underwater after even a moderate storm. Significant weather events are more frequent. Climate scientists have been ringing the alarm for years now, and we have to take action if we want to preserve our environment and way of life,” said Heffernan, D-Brandywine Hundred South.
Under HB 99, key cabinet-level departments – such as Natural Resources, Transportation, Agriculture, Health and Social Services and others – would appoint climate officers to work with a chief climate officer to update and implement the climate action plan. Reduction strategies would be required to be equitable, complement federal efforts, maintain an adequate and reliable energy supply for Delaware, and not disproportionately impact overburdened and underserved communities.
The bill also requires at least one annual public meeting to allow for opportunities for public engagement in the development of the plan.
“As a wildlife ecologist, I’ve seen firsthand the impacts of climate change on animals and nature as a whole. As a young person who is deeply concerned about the future of our planet, I know that we can no longer wait for those at the national level to address this crisis; we have to take action here in Delaware,” said Phillips, D-Bear/Christiana. “This bill has been the work of months of countless meetings and conversations with stakeholders to strike a balance while making serious leaps forward for our ecosystem.”
A 2014 Delaware Climate Change Impact Assessment examined past and projected future climate trends in Delaware. The report detailed how average and extreme temperatures, extreme rainfall and sea level rise are expected to accelerate as this century wears on, and the expected public health and infrastructure challenges.
Under the bill the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control would provide a climate action plan implementation report starting on January 1, 2024 and every two years thereafter. The report would summarize the state’s progress toward meeting targets.
HB 99, which passed the House 27-13, now goes to the Senate.
