A bill making its way through the Maryland General Assembly is aimed at chipping away at carbon emissions as required by state law. The Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 set in motion a mandate to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2031 and to reach net-zero emissions by 2045.
Introduced by Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Montgomery) and crossed filed by Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D-Howard and Montgomery), House Bill 397 , Working for Accessible Renewable Maryland Thermal Heat, or WARMTH Act, creates a pilot program that would establish networked geothermal projects in a handful of neighborhoods across the state.
Geothermal systems tap the relatively constant temperature of the earth six feet below ground to heat or cool a building, circulating water and other fluids like antifreeze through a network of deep pipes, connected to a heat pump.
A 2021 report by the Maryland Commission on Climate Change finds that residential and commercial buildings account for 13% the state’s carbon emissions.