ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — A series of bills were heard in Annapolis Tuesday, many aiming to address energy affordability concerns.
“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,” said Delegate Brian Chisholm.
Among several bills, the House Environment and Transportation Committee heard the Affordable Solar Act, a bill which could help expand solar in the state, to help address the need for more energy generation.
“We expect that this bill will get a lot more solar built with no additional cost to rate payers,’ said Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, a sponsor of the bill.
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The bill would establish a competitive procurement process, to ensure the best prices. The bill would also make sure money that is designated for clean energy projects, actually gets spent on the appropriate projects.
“The amount that our rate payers are paying in alternative compliance payments instead of in renewable energy credits, has ballooned, and that money gets transferred out of the renewable portfolio standard and into budgets that then get used for a host of things,” Del. Charkoudian said.
Another bill, proposed by Brian Chisholm, would require the state to withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a program designed to lower emissions.
“Emissions don’t disappear,” Chisholm said. “They just moved across the straight state line. Most destructive, Maryland rate payers are getting stuck picking up the enormous tab. Recent data shows RGGI states consistently rang among rank among the highest electricity prices in the country.”
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However, opponents of the bill argued energy bills were rising from other factors including distribution rates imposed by utility companies and data center forecasts, especially since data center demand has driven rising supply costs.
“RGGI, on the other hand, does not directly affect our utility prices. It is a key part of Maryland’s greenhouse gas reduction plan, and passing legislation to remove Maryland from this program would be a mistake,” said Brittany Baker, with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
Several other bills were also heard Tuesday, including a bill which would reduce the amount of farmland and preserved areas which could be used for solar projects. Another bill would require utility companies to notify ratepayers when there is a proceeding which could lead to a rate increase.
Additionally, as the fight over the proposed 67-mile transmission line continues, and the threat of eminent domain persists, a bill proposed by Senator Justin Ready would help ensure that landowners could recover costs from eminent domain proceedings.
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