State Climate Superfund Laws

Across the Chesapeake Bay region, climate change is already imposing significant public health, energy, and infrastructure costs on residents. Increasingly severe heat waves and other extreme weather events strain communities and the electric grid, while states face enormous expenses to modernize infrastructure and adapt to a changing climate. Yet federal action remains limited, leaving states and local governments to address these growing impacts with constrained resources and few existing legal avenues for recovering the costs.

Dan Milovic, CLA Law Clerk, will present on how a legislative Climate Superfund could provide a targeted state-level response. Modeled on laws enacted in Vermont and New York, a Climate Superfund could require major fossil fuel producers and refiners to contribute toward the costs of climate adaptation based on their historic emissions. The presentation will explore what such legislation could accomplish for Maryland and the broader Bay region, and why this limited, legislative approach may offer a practical way to help communities address the costs of climate change.

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Click HERE to Register!

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