Saying it has a “moral obligation” to do more to combat climate change, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley last week called on the state to get one-quarter of its electricity from renewable sources by 2022, a 25% increase from the current Renewable Portfolio Standard.

O’Malley also restated his support for a regional cap-and-trade program to cut carbon dioxide emissions and pledged to improve the state’s lagging energy efficiency programs.

The governor, who will leave office in 2015, wants to strengthen his environmental credentials as he prepares for a possible presidential run.

The state has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 8% since 2006. But current efforts are likely to result in only a 17% cut by 2020, short of its 25% reduction target.

Renewable Portfolio Standard

Electricity consumption is responsible for about 41% of the state’s emissions. Thus boosting the RPS goal to 25% would make up a large part of the gap in GHG reductions, O’Malley said.

Renewable power provides almost 8% of Maryland’s electricity, up from less than 6% in 2007. Increasing the state’s RPS targets — currently 18% by 2020 and 20% 2022 — would require the support of lawmakers, who doubled the state’s original RPS goal in 2008.

Doing so would be a boon for renewable generators both in the state and — because the state imports 28% of its electricity — elsewhere in PJM.

Energy Efficiency

The 2008 EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act pledged to reduce Maryland’s per capita electricity consumption and peak load demand by 15% below 2007 levels by 2015. Thus far, peak electricity demand has declined by nearly 11% and per capita consumption is down by more than 9%.

More than 430,000 households and businesses have participated in EmPOWER programs, putting the state on track to exceed its 15% peak demand reduction goal. But it is likely to reach only a 14% reduction in per capita usage based on current policies. O’Malley said the state can improve its performance with lessons from states that are reducing consumption faster.

Cap-and-Trade

O’Malley also reiterated the state’s commitment to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). In February, Maryland and the eight other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states in RGGI pledged to lower their 2014 carbon dioxide emissions to 91 million tons and to reduce the cap by 2.5% annually between 2015 and 2020.

Carbon emissions from power plants subject to RGGI declined from 165 million tons to 92 million tons between 2008 and 2012.  Most of the reduction is the result of the 2008 recession, milder weather and the rise of natural gas at the expense of coal with the remainder coming from energy efficiency and renewable energy programs funded by auction revenues.

O’Malley’s support of RGGI is in contrast with that of New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie, another potential presidential candidate, who pulled his state from the program in 2011, saying it was expensive and ineffective.

O’Malley’s call for an increase in RPS standards also contrasts with the policy of many Republicans. Twenty nine states and Washington, D.C. have RPS standards. In 2011 and 2012, at least 14 states considered 50 bills to lower or weaken RPS standards, five of which succeeded.