Maryland lawmakers spent Tuesday locked in a full-on power struggle in Annapolis, as competing visions for how to cut utility bills and steer the state’s energy future collided in packed committee rooms. On the table were plans to turbocharge solar power, scale back regional climate rules, and shield landowners caught in the path of a major new transmission line.
Affordable Solar Act Aims To Supercharge Local Energy
Front and center was the Affordable Solar Act (H.B. 345), pitched by its sponsors as a way to rapidly expand both big utility-scale solar projects and smaller local systems without piling extra costs onto ratepayers. As reported by pv magazine, the proposal would lean on competitive procurement and tweaks to Maryland’s solar renewable energy credit program to push about 4,000 MW of solar onto the grid by 2035. The measure was slated for a committee hearing this week, according to TrackBill.
RGGI Withdrawal Plan Sparks Heated Debate
On a very different track, Delegate Brian Chisholm pressed a bill that would force Maryland to pull out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, arguing that the multistate carbon market is feeding into painful power bills. “This bill comes down to one basic question, can Maryland families still afford to keep the lights on? For too many people, the answer is no,” Chisholm told colleagues in committee, in remarks reported by FOX Baltimore. The withdrawal proposal is listed as H.B. 66 on the General Assembly calendar, per the Maryland General Assembly.
Critics Blame Data Centers And Delivery Charges, Not RGGI
Opponents of the RGGI exit shot back that the real pressure on bills is coming from elsewhere, pointing to rising distribution charges and mounting demand from energy-hungry data centers. Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s Brittany Baker told lawmakers that “RGGI, on the other hand, does not directly affect our utility prices,” in testimony cited by FOX Baltimore. At the same time, reporting from Maryland Matters and state regulators has tied transmission planning and price pressure to the surge in data-center load and PJM reliability concerns. The governor has pursued separate affordability efforts, including the “Lower Bills and Local Power” proposals rolled out in late January to direct state funding toward local clean-energy projects, according to the Office of Governor Wes Moore.
Eminent Domain Fight Tied To 67-Mile Power Line
Lawmakers also waded into a separate flashpoint: how to treat landowners caught up in the proposed 67-mile Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, a high-voltage transmission line that has already triggered lawsuits and fierce local resistance. Senator Justin Ready put forward a bill that would ensure defendants in condemnation cases can recover legal fees, expert costs, and other expenses. The measure is filed as SB 451 in the Senate. The Maryland Public Service Commission has approved a procedural schedule for reviewing the PSEG-backed line, which would run through portions of Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick counties, setting the stage for why property rights and compensation have become hot topics in Annapolis this session. Maryland Public Service Commission coverage and local reporting provide additional background on the project and its timetable.
What Happens Next
From here, the major bills head into the usual gauntlet of fiscal analysis and committee work, where sponsors, utilities, environmental advocates, and property owners are lining up to testify before anything reaches the House or Senate floor. Legislative trackers are already logging the next steps for the Affordable Solar Act, the RGGI withdrawal proposal, and the eminent-domain bill as staff prepare fiscal notes and briefings. For hearing dates and new filings, see TrackBill and LegiScan.
