By BRIAN WITTE

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)- Maryland would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030, under an ambitious measure outlined Wednesday as the coastal state grapples with increasing concerns about sea-level rise.

The legislation sponsored by Sen. Paul Pinsky and Del. Dana Stein would increase the state's current goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40%, based on 2006 levels. The measure also would set the state on a path toward achieving net-zero statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

Supporters of the “Climate Solutions Act of 2020” say Maryland, which has about 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers)of tidal shorelinemust be a leader in addressing rising sea levels that threaten the state.

“We have to lead by example,” Pinsky, a Prince George's County Democrat, said. "We have to show the rest of the state and the country we’re doing something about it.”

Environmentalists say the measure is the the most comprehensive approach to addressing greenhouse gas emissions before lawmakers this session in a legislature controlled by Democrats.

Themeasure's goals includeplanting 1 million trees a year in the state for a decade. It also calls for requiring new commercial buildings with 25,000 square feet of rooftop to use solar panels.

The measure has powerful supporters in the General Assembly, including Senate President Bill Ferguson, though Pinsky conceded there could be some changes due to cost, and the goal for tree plantings “could be trimmed down.”

“There are going to be some amendments," Pinsky said. “There are going to be some costs we'll have to bring down."

The state's vehicle and bus fleet would become electric vehicles by 2030, under the measure, and a state program would be expanded to increase energy efficiency.

The measure also would create a work group focused on identifying communities affected most by climate change.

“There’s a lot more that our state could be doing to benefit the communities that are hardest hit,” said Sen. Mary Washington, a Democrat from Baltimore, where flooding and heatwaves are rising concerns.

Kallan Benson, a 16-year-old Crownsville, Maryland, resident who has been a climate activist since she was 9-years-old, said she used to be the youngest person in the room calling for action address climate change. Now, she says she's increasingly seeing people younger than her at rallies and events seeking change.

“I’m here because I believe this bill will put us on a path to having a livable future," Benson said.

Pinsky has criticized a draft plan released by Gov. Larry Hogan's administration, saying it contains vague steps to reach the previously set goal of a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas. He contends the administration is not going far enough.

“They’ve relied on low-hanging fruit, easy things," Pinsky, who chairs a committee that handles environmental legislation, said. "They have not been willing to take on the tough battles, and that’s what we’re doing here today with the Climate Solutions Act of 2020.”

But Ben Grumbles, the secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, said the Republican governor supports getting the state to using 100% clean electricity by 2040.

“There’s far more common ground then what one is led to believe," Grumbles said. "On the low-hanging fruit argument, we are focused on harvesting all the fruit wherever it is: low-hanging, high-hanging, as well as planting additional seeds for additional fruits in the coming years.”

Grumbles described the draft plan as “bold and balanced," reaching an estimated 44% reduction goal by 2030.

“We are very open to working with legislators to continue to look for real and achievable and ambitious strategies,” Grumbles said.