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MD Senate Overrides Veto of Renewable Energy Bill

Maryland State Capitol
creative commons
Maryland State Capitol

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Maryland Senate has voted to override Gov. Larry Hogan's veto of a bill to increase the state's renewable energy standards.

Media outlets report that the Senate voted 32-13 Thursday to override the veto, two days after the House of Delegates voted on the measure. It means the law is now in effect.

The Senate needed a three-fifths vote, or 29 out of 47 senators. The measure passed last year on a 32-14 vote in the Senate.

The bill would increase requirements to use energy sources like wind and solar power to 25 percent by 2020. That's up from 20 percent by 2022.

Hogan, a Republican, criticized the measure, saying it will raise electricity bills. He has called it a "sunshine and wind tax."

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.