ANNAPOLIS, Md. — An agreement is now in place to advance the Utility RELIEF Act through final passage.
Governor Wes Moore, along with Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, made the announcement Monday.
Governor Wes Moore announces agreement to pass bill aimed at lowering Maryland energy bills
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Maryland energy advocates raise concerns over State Senate changes to utility bill relief legislation
The legislation is set to lower energy bills for Marylanders, which has been among the biggest topics in this year's legislative session.
Once passed, Maryland residents will save $150 on their energy bills next year.
Governor Wes Moore is announcing House and Senate leadership have come to an agreement on the utility relief act. It will save people about $150 next year. @wmar2news pic.twitter.com/VmdDx8YxRk
— Jeff Morgan (@JeffMorganTV) April 13, 2026
While taking aim at the Trump administration's latest objectives, such as the war in Iran and the construction of the White House ballroom, Governor Moore said lawmakers have been "laser-focused" for weeks on making life more affordable for Marylanders.
"Amid soaring energy prices, we are not waiting for Washington to act; we are delivering relief now. The bipartisan Utility RELIEF Act is about taking control of the things we can control—pushing every lever to put money back in people's pockets and holding utility companies accountable. Our people demand action, and in Maryland, we are here to deliver that for them," said Governor Moore.
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Leaders say the legislation will provide immediate energy bill relief, modernize Maryland's grid infrastructure, and address growing energy demands by increasing accountability for data center development.
With these new requirements in place, data centers will be tasked with covering the costs of their own energy infrastructure upgrades, meaning costs from their impact on Maryland's grid will not be passed on to families.
An In Focus look at legislation sent to Governor Wes Moore's desk
"Marylanders are reeling from unacceptably high energy bills as corporations too often put profits over the people they serve, and regional and federal entities have insufficiently kept pace with the rapid increase in electricity demand as supply steadily decreased," said Senate President Ferguson. "The Utility RELIEF Act takes a systematic approach to the levers available to the State of Maryland and makes immense policy changes in those areas so none of our residents are forced to choose between keeping the lights on and paying for their medication."
"Easing the burden on ratepayers has been my top priority this session, and I'm proud that we have a Utility RELIEF Act that truly lives up to its name—delivering real relief for Maryland families right now and reforming the system to achieve greater savings and reliability in the years to come," said House Speaker Peña-Melnyk. "This process hasn't always been easy, but the voters who sent us here expect us to do hard things. We could not have achieved this victory without the outstanding leadership of Chairman Korman, and I also deeply appreciate the partnership of Governor Moore, President Ferguson, Chairman Feldman, and many others. This was a team effort, proving once again that it really does take a village."
Republican leaders have pushed back on the bill, putting Maryland's capabilities for energy supply and the bill's language into question.
"I think that's kind of an end point for us, it's a supply and demand problem. Everyone who's taking an honest look at this, regardless of your political orientation, knows that we don't produce enough energy in our region and certainly in our state to keep up with our energy demands needs," said Delegate Jason Buckel.
"We've seen a lot of support from the Republicans in the Senate when we got amendments on that we thought made a difference. In the conference committee, it appears all of those amendments got stripped away. So I don't think that you're going to see a lot of Republican support on the final product," Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey said.
BGE, Delmarva Power, and Pepco released a joint statement following Monday's announcement:
We appreciate Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly for their focus on addressing energy affordability for customers across the state. At a time when families and businesses are feeling pressure from rising costs, this is an important conversation and one we share every day as we work directly with our customers.
The Utility RELIEF Act includes several meaningful steps that will help customers in the near term, including expanded access to energy assistance, a continued focus on affordability by ensuring large-load customers pay their fair share of grid modernization costs, and increased financial support for limited-income households by accelerating and funding a discounted rate mechanism BGE, Delmarva Power, and Pepco were instrumental in developing. These are important tools that can make a real difference for customers who need it most, and we are committed to helping connect eligible customers with every available resource.
At the same time, it is important to ensure that well-intended policies do not create unintended consequences for customers over the long term. Policies that limit how utilities plan, invest, and recover costs can make it more challenging to maintain the safe, reliable energy system that customers depend on every day and may ultimately increase costs or delay critical infrastructure investments.
Energy affordability and reliability must go hand in hand. We remain committed to working with state leaders and stakeholders to implement this legislation in a way that delivers immediate relief while also supporting the long-term investments needed to keep energy safe, reliable, and as affordable as possible for Maryland customers.
