Another example: Maryland. Only 10 states have a lower carbon footprint per capita than Maryland, and the state has a relatively low instance of water facilities exceeding their Clean Water Act permits, according to PIRG. In addition, Maryland ranks 40th in total energy consumption nationwide, and it managed less toxic waste per capita than all but six states in 2005. And earlier this year it joined a group of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to cap greenhouse gas emissions and trade emissions credits.Then there's tiny Rhode Island. The state has mandated that utilities obtain 16 percent of their power from renewable fuel sources by 2020. It has the lowest energy consumption per capita of any state in the country, and only two states have lower carbon footprints than Rhode Island, government data show.
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