Maryland Loan Guarantees for Natural Climate Solutions

In 2021, Maryland passed HB 94, creating the Water Quality Revolving Loan Fund. In January 2023, using that fund, Maryland became the first state to approve a loan guarantee to finance “natural climate solutions,” which are practices that reduce and store carbon in forests, grasslands, farmland, and wetlands. The $2.5 million loan guarantee was granted specifically to the American Forest Foundation, a conservation group, to assist landowners in implementing practices that enhance the role forests play in protecting water quality and sequestering carbon.