DOVER — A Senate committee gave its approval Wednesday for a bill that would commit Delaware to a path of steep reductions of greenhouse gas emissions — targeting cuts to statewide emissions of 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050.

So many people signed up to testify for the Senate Environment & Energy Committee hearing for Senate Bill 305 that time for testimony was cut in half. Supporters said urgent action is necessary to halt the ever-worsening effects of climate change. Opponents — including fossil fuel companies and utilities or their representatives whose businesses could be impacted should the bill become law — argued the bill was rushed and would grant too much power to state agencies.

The legislation, dubbed the Delaware Climate Change Solutions Act, would, where applicable, enmesh climate change mitigation in state agency decision making, from the regulatory process to the maintenance and construction of government buildings. It would also task the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control with updating the state’s plan to tackle the effects of climate change — introduced by Gov. John Carney last year — every five years.

The bill would put Delaware’s climate goals on similar footing compared to those of states such as Maryland, said the bill’s prime sponsor, Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown. In the case of others, including Pennsylvania, the state would be “a little further ahead,” she added, “which is not a bad thing.”

Sen. Hansen sought to head off criticism at the start of the hearing, asking Shawn Garvin, the secretary of DNREC, whether or not the legislation would grant any new powers to the state government. He confirmed it did not, stating the bill “simply gives us the framework that we need” to implement the governor’s climate plan.

That didn’t persuade Mike O’Halloran, who testified on behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Distributors’ Association, a group that represents gas stations and conveniences stores in Delaware, Maryland and Washington, D.C., whose concerns echoed many of those opposed to the climate legislation. The bill has the legislature ceding power to DNREC, he argued.

“This in essence does give DNREC complete control, whether it believes it is receiving more statutory authority or not,” Mr. O’Halloran said.

Shweta Arya, executive director of Delaware Interfaith Power and Light, said her organization, which seeks to inspire people of faith to act to stop climate change, supports the legislation. Her group, she said, believes the issue “to be a defining moral and ethical issue of our time, and existential threat.”

“As responsible stewards, we really want to advocate for policies that protect all of God’s creation, with paramount focus on the poorest and most vulnerable among us — those least responsible for fueling this crisis, but who are among its frontline victims,” Ms. Arya said.

The committee approved the legislation with five votes in favor — two favorable and three on the bill’s merits — and one vote against. Next, the legislation will head to the floor of the Senate.