Exempting shelters makes perfect sense

Not every piece of legislation introduced in the Maryland General Assembly makes sense. Wait, let’s amend that. Now and then, out of the torrent of filings introduced in the legislature each year there emerges one that makes perfect sense.

One such measure this year is House Bill 1414 sponsored by Delegate Wayne Hartman (R-38C) and others who believe an exception from the state’s Climate Solutions Act of 2022 should be granted in the name of public safety.

Specifically, the measure would add certain government buildings to a short list of properties that are not obligated by law to convert from fossil fuel heating systems such as boilers and furnaces to electric heating by 2040.

The purpose of the act is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state by 60% by requiring buildings of more than 35,000 square feet to make the switch. That’s an expensive proposition, but that isn’t the point here.

Allowing government to fulfill its public safety obligation is what Hartman’s bill is about as it proposes to exempt from the Climate Act  public safety, public utility, and other buildings that have been designated as storm shelters.

This doesn’t mean government and other public entities would be prohibited from switching from fossil fuel to electricity if that’s what they want to do, but it would mean they could keep and maintain their traditional systems for use in emergencies.

Exposed as this area is to extreme weather and rising sea levels, it just makes sense to have a fallback position for shelters that isn’t dependent on vulnerable power transmission lines.

The irony, of course, is that climate change is a major factor in the rising sea levels that threaten the Eastern Seaboard, and the legislature’s decision to be part of the solution is laudable. Still, it is government’s job to provide functional emergency shelters and services to as many people as possible when the need arises and passing this exemption will add to its ability to do that.