Maryland’s GOP governor Larry Hogan committed to joining a bipartisan coalition of 14 states aiming to meet the goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement. The U.S. Climate Alliance was formed in June after President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the international climate accord. In touting Maryland’s stringent clean air standardsthe state is on track to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020Hogan stressed “the importance of aggressive but balanced action in states, communities, and businesses.”
“The need for multi-state collaboration and international leadership on climate change grows stronger every day,” he wrote in a letter to the coalition’s executive director. Two other Republican governors have joined, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker. “In closing, as long as the U.S. Climate Alliance adds value, shows true bipartisanship, and avoids Washington D.C.’s politics-as-usual, corrosive tactics and distractions, we will gladly invest our time and energy with state colleagues for this cause,” Hogan wrote.