ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland lawmakers are debating a number of changes to how the state handles its energy market, aiming to lower energy bills and rein in data centers.
The current proposal making its way through the Senate aims to provide about $12.50 a month in savings for residents. However, Republicans argue the legislation does not do enough.
MD lawmakers debate complex bill to lower energy costs and regulate data centers
"90 days we're here. Let's find something that is going to help out our middle class. Help out the people that are working hard at the steel plants, Bethlehem Steel, at the Port of Baltimore, throughout our state. They're asking us to remedy this," Sen. Johnny Ray Salling said.
The minority party in Annapolis offered nearly a dozen changes to the current bill, with many focusing on lowering or eliminating greenhouse gas initiatives or efficiency programs.
"Which adds cost to your bill, every month, but also restricts the ability, it really makes it a lot less profitable for base load reliable generation to come here," Sen. Justin Ready said.
Democrats rejected most of the changes, arguing the short-term relief is not worth the long-term impacts.
"We have the studies, Brattle and others from Berkley, that say this is not a cost driver because a lot of the money goes into energy efficiency which again helps on the demand side so it's not a driver of energy cost," Sen. Brian Feldman said.
Maryland is also starting to rein in data centers by incentivizing them to come with their own energy generation. The legislation makes data centers pay for the high strain they will put on the energy grid.
"If we did not do this, then the areas of our state that have the highest number of data centers and the fewest number of people, the cost would be socialized equally and our rates would completely balloon," Sen. Katie Fry Hester said.
One change Republicans successfully added requires notification of transmission projects, including how people can fight them. Sen. J.B. Jennings introduced the change after a project in his district had very little notification. The amendment passed by one vote, 20-19.
"The notice that was consented by BGE was pretty much nothing more than a Baltimore Sun advertisement, a website posting and a couple social media postings," Jennings said.
The complex legislation is a potluck of ideas from several lawmakers, which Republicans are calling a Frankenstein bill. Differences have to be ironed out quickly, with lawmakers set to leave town in less than two weeks.
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