The Clean Energy Jobs Act, which aims to increase the state’s reliance on solar and wind power, passed in the House of Delegates on Monday.
The bill will ensure the state gets 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, according to the Maryland Climate Coalition. Passed 92-43, the bill increases an earlier goal of 20 percent by 2022.
Environmental advocates said the bill will create 1,000 new solar jobs and 4,600 wind-related jobs.
The bill originally included plans to boost minority- and women-owned businesses, but those measures were removed in a subcommittee last week and will move forward as part of a “separate, comprehensive legislative package,” the coalition said in a release.
The bill is slated for review by the Senate.