State must leave behind coal-powered energy

The closing of Charles County’s GenOn coal power plant is welcome news as Maryland continues to move toward a more sustainable future (“50-year-old Maryland power plant to stop burning coal in 2027,” Dec. 22).

Coal-powered plants are the third largest source of pollution in our state, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment, and the article notes that GenOn’s Morgantown plant has been contaminating surface water near the plant, potentially endangering downstream communities.

To protect Marylanders from the worst effects of air pollution and the climate crisis, we need to fully transition from coal to clean energy sources like solar and wind. However, our state also has a responsibility to the communities and workers that have been powering our homes and businesses for decades. Five of Maryland’s six coal plants have already announced plans to close, and if our state government doesn’t take decisive action, the workers that powered them will be left behind.

It’s time for the Maryland General Assembly to pass the bipartisan legislation filed by Del. Benjamin Brooks, a Baltimore County Democrat, and Sen. Chris West, a Baltimore County Republican, to finalize Maryland’s transition from coal to clean energy and to establish a Fossil Fuel Community Transition Fund to ensure the economic well-being of communities as they transition from coal jobs to clean energy.

John Coyne, Silver Spring