Gov. Martin O'Malley will support a bill that would impose some of the nation's toughest limits on global warming pollution, according to administration and legislative sources.
The legislation, which is scheduled to be considered by a state Senate committee today, would impose a 25 percent cut in greenhouse gases from all industries in Maryland by 2020 and a 90 percent cut by 2050.
"He understands the problem, and he understands that science backs it up, so I appreciate his efforts to push it through to become law," said Sen. Paul G. Pinsky, a Prince George's County Democrat and sponsor of the Global Warming Solutions Act.
Under the proposal, the state would use a system of financial penalties and rewards to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that scientists have concluded are warming the atmosphere and melting polar ice, causing rising sea levels.
Many environmental groups support the bill, saying that Maryland's low-lying Eastern Shore is especially vulnerable to flooding, with its hundreds of miles of coastline.
But business groups and many Republicans are fighting the proposal, saying that mandatory limits on carbon dioxide could drive businesses out of the state and derail the economy.
More regulations on pollution from power plants are likely to further drive up the cost of electricity and a wide variety of products and services that depend on electricity, critics say.
Republican Sen. David R. Brinkley, the Senate minority leader from Frederick County, said voters still smarting from O'Malley's recent tax increases will perceive this legislation as yet another tax.
"It's not going to be at all positive for the economy, but this legislature and this administration [don't] care," Brinkley said. "They are more interested in making political statements about saving the Earth than saving Maryland jobs."
Environment Maryland and other advocacy groups pushing the legislation counter that mandates for more alternative energy, such as wind and solar power, could create "green-collar" jobs.
It's not clear what the bill's chances of passage are. A similar bill failed last year, although the O'Malley administration helped win approval for a more limited "clean cars" bill that will cut emissions of global warming gases from vehicles by one-third.
Two years ago, the Maryland General Assembly passed a law that will cut carbon dioxide pollution from power plants by 10 percent. Together, the two laws would get the state to roughly a quarter of the 90 percent reduction goal laid out by this year's Global Warming Solutions Act, analysts estimate.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, who played a role in the defeat of last year's version of the "Global Warming Solutions Act," said he thinks the bill will pass in some form this year.
"I have met with union representatives from Sparrows Point, and they're indicating the bill as presently drafted could shut down Sparrows Point and could cost the state 3,000 jobs, so I think some amendments are going to be needed," Miller said.
House Speaker Michael E. Busch wouldn't say yesterday whether he will support the bill or whether he thinks it will pass, saying he needs to see the specifics of the final legislation.
"I support the idea" of fighting global warming, said Busch, a Democrat. "But ... you have to ask whether that can realistically take place or not," he said of a mandatory cap.
An administration official familiar with O'Malley's plans said the governor intends to announce his support of Pinsky's bill, with amendments, today.
Pinsky said the administration might offer an amendment that would make "cap and trade" systems optional for industries beyond the electricity sector, with the decision on how to regulate greenhouse gases to be made by the Maryland Department of the Environment.
"Cap and trade" systems impose financial penalties on businesses that exceed set limits on greenhouse gas emissions, with the money used to reward cleaner businesses.
Pinsky's bill follows the models of similar laws passed recently by California and New Jersey.
The proposal does not specify exactly how the state would cut greenhouse gases. But the bill lays out a timetable that the state's environmental agencies must follow to propose a series of regulations for each business and sector of the economy.
Supporters of Maryland's bill predict that early steps likely to be included would encourage the construction of energy-efficient buildings and the adoption of anti-sprawl measures to cut down on the miles that people commute.
During a meeting of activists in Annapolis yesterday, several environmental groups said they support Pinsky's bill as a way to force federal action against pollution.
"We are not seeing leadership at the federal level on this," said Kim Coble, Maryland executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce opposes the bill, arguing on its Web site that the limits would be impossible to achieve and would drive businesses out of the state.
Del. Warren Miller, a Howard County Republican, said electricity customers who were outraged by the 72 percent BGE rate increase will be even angrier at the rate increases that would follow a cap on carbon dioxide emissions.
"This is a federal issue, and I think it's a lot of hype," Miller said. "It's going to bankrupt a lot of people and a lot of businesses."
tom.pelton@baltsun.com
Sun reporter Gadi Dechter contributed to this article.