A Panel with no experts….

In an article by Paul Chesser on Jan 7, 2008 in the Examiner, he reveals two of the members of Martin O’Malley’s’ secretive “Maryland Commission on Climate Change.” These “experts”, include the State School Superintendent, and the Secretary of Transportation. Now what really makes me wonder is the title of the panel, where the words of Climate Change ARE the most prevalent. As a result of those words, wouldn’t you think that the governor would have at least picked a climatologist to the board? From their website, these are the members on the climate board.

The Commission consists of up to twenty-one members, including the Secretaries of Agriculture, Budget and Management, Business and Economic Development, Natural Resources, Environment, Planning, Transportaion[sp], Housing and Community Development, the State Superintendent of Schools, the Directors of the Maryland Energy Administration, Maryland Emergency Management Agency, and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, the Maryland Insurance Commissioner, the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, and the Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, or their designees. Three other members are from/designated by the House of Delegates and Senate.
Do you see a major disappointment in the choice of board members? This is a scientific endeavor and yet not one scientist appears on the board. Obviously Martin O’Malley doesn’t care about the science, or the path to an unrealistic emission goal he has set for the state, he only cares about pushing his costly policy on the people of Maryland. This board has recommended reducing emissions 25% under the 2006 levels, and reducing them by 90% by 2050. The fact remains that no nation or state has ever been able to achieve such lofty goals. In fact the Kyoto Protocol that has been implemented by many nations, only one has been able to lower their emissions at all. That nation was the old “East Germany.” They were able to lower their emissions because of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and that enabled the western worlds technologies to triumph, but only to the tune of 2%. Every other EU countries emissions rose. Maybe the State’s School Superintendent knows more then the world of scientific recommendations behind the Kyoto Protocol’s treaty for world change. Maybe the opinion of the Superintendent of the Department of Corrections, might cast a new light on the solution. Of course logically, not one of the members on this board will be left alive in the year 2050, so criticism would only fall on dead ears by then. Wake up Mr.Governor!