The House passed a potentially transformative package of energy reform bills Saturday that are aimed at hastening new power generation in Maryland and curtailing costs for ratepayers.
The move tees up the three-bill package, backed by General Assembly leadership, for final passage, even if it may come on the 90-day session’s final day.
The Senate, which previously approved the energy bills, is likely to concur with amendments made in the House, sending the bills to the governor’s desk, said Sen. Brian Feldman (D- Montgomery), chairman of the Education, Energy and the Environment Committee.
“We’ve been in pretty close consultation,” he said. “Unless there’s some surprise, I would anticipate that we’d be concurring.”
The legislation, which will spur in-state power generation, came as a response to escalating electric bills for Maryland consumers. In the run-up to the General Assembly session, new transmission line projects also stirred frustration from rural parts of the state, which will bring energy through Maryland from other states, spurred by coal plant retirements and increased power demand from data centers and other users.
Together, the bills would create uniform siting standards for solar arrays, replacing a patchwork of local policies, and set up a new state office focused on energy planning.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Christine Condon over at Maryland Matters
