Environment

This bill expands regulatory requirements for constructing overhead transmission lines in Maryland by requiring a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Public Service Commission for lines carrying over 69,000 volts, while also giving the Commission authority to waive this requirement under specific criteria related to costs, environmental impact, and other factors. The legislation also restricts the construction of data centers in certain Baltimore City development districts and clarifies definitions related to construction activities for transmission lines. Additionally, the bill outlines notification procedures that applicants must follow when seeking approval, ensuring that local governments, state officials, and landowners are informed about proposed projects.

This bill would eliminate several environmental and energy-related fees, taxes, and programs currently included on Maryland electric and gas utility bills. It directly affects residential customers, small businesses, and commercial customers by removing charges related to the electric universal service program, energy efficiency plans, renewable energy standards, building efficiency requirements, and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Key provisions prohibit utility companies from adding specific surcharges or riders to retail bills and require the state to withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The legislation also repeals various sections of state law governing these programs and taxes across multiple articles of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

HB 833 reestablishes Maryland's Commission to Advance Lithium-Ion Battery Safety with updated membership and a focused mandate. The commission, composed of 27+ members including state agencies, fire departments, battery manufacturers, recyclers, and industry representatives, will study key safety issues like preventing fires in consumer/transportation applications, recycling standards, port/rail risks, and insurance impacts. It must submit an interim report by December 1, 2026, with recommendations on best practices, training, and regulatory approaches. This bill directly affects state agencies, first responders, and industries handling lithium-ion batteries, but does not enact new laws - only directs the commission to study and advise.

HB 1207 amends Maryland’s State Lakes Protection and Restoration Fund to specifically require the Governor to include a $500,000 mandatory appropriation in the 2028 and 2029 state budgets for protecting and restoring Deep Creek Lake. The bill expands the fund’s authorized uses to include sediment removal, treating contaminated sediment, preventing invasive species spread, and improving ecological/recreational value of state-owned or state-managed lakes. It ensures funds remain available year-to-year (nonlapsing) and clarifies that expenditures supplement, not replace, existing lake protection funding. The requirement expires on June 30, 2029, without further legislative action.

HB 1561 requires Maryland's Public Service Commission to mandate investor-owned electric utilities to develop resource adequacy plans if the state faces insufficient power supply capacity or experiences severe price spikes in the PJM electricity market. The bill directs utilities to prioritize renewable energy investments in these plans and allows them to recover reasonable costs (including stranded investments) through regulated surcharges. It modifies how utilities can recover expenses for building power generation facilities and transmission infrastructure, ensuring cost recovery aligns with federal rate base approvals. This directly affects Maryland's major electric utilities (like Potomac Electric Power Company) and their ratepayers through potential cost adjustments.

HB 925 establishes limits on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sewage sludge applied to land, prohibiting use if PFAS levels exceed specific thresholds after a set date. It directly affects sewage sludge generators (like wastewater treatment facilities), industrial users discharging PFAS, and local jurisdictions managing sludge. Key provisions include mandatory PFAS monitoring in sludge, requirements for industrial pretreatment standards when PFAS levels exceed action levels, and rules allowing limited blending of sludge from multiple sources. The bill also authorizes local fees for industrial dischargers and updates regulations for safe land application practices.

SB 749 defines "residential retail customer" as individuals using electricity or gas at a home, excluding businesses mislabeled as residential. It requires electricity suppliers to price non-green power at or below the utility's standard offer service rate, allows consolidated billing for electricity and gas, and mandates that suppliers marketing electricity as "green" must meet a 51% renewable energy standard (or 1% above the state's portfolio standard). The bill also adds requirements for the Public Service Commission to approve green power pricing and restricts automatic renewals for green power contracts. These changes directly affect residential electricity suppliers and their customers in Maryland.

SB 781 (CHERISH Our Communities Act) requires applicants for certain environmental permits (like air quality or wastewater permits) at facilities in "at-risk census tracts" to submit a report detailing existing environmental and public health burdens in those areas. The Maryland Department of the Environment must deny permit applications if approval would worsen adverse environmental or health stressors in those high-burden communities, as defined by specific metrics like pollution proximity scores or health indicator thresholds. The bill mandates new public participation requirements during permit reviews for facilities in these areas and specifies that denial decisions must be documented for judicial review. It directly affects businesses seeking permits for facilities in designated at-risk neighborhoods, aiming to prevent additional environmental harm in communities already facing disproportionate pollution.

HB 1217 modifies Maryland's building energy standards by adding specific exemptions for certain covered buildings. It exempts facilities housing "permanent sensitive compartmented information facilities" (like military or government sites) and excludes energy use related to sterilization and emergency backup power in healthcare, laboratories, and similar facilities from emissions targets. The bill updates existing requirements that mandate 20% emissions reductions by 2030 and net-zero by 2040 for commercial buildings over 35,000 sq. ft. These changes clarify which building types and energy uses are not subject to the energy use intensity targets under Maryland law.

SB 719 restricts the land application of sewage sludge containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) above specific concentration levels, effective after a set date. It requires monitoring for PFAS in sewage sludge and products containing it, authorizes stricter pretreatment rules for industrial users discharging PFAS, and allows local jurisdictions to set fees for such discharges. The bill directly affects sewage sludge generators (like wastewater treatment facilities), industrial users, and local regulators by mandating new PFAS testing, usage limits, and fee structures. It amends Maryland’s environmental code to establish these requirements without changing existing land application rules for sludge below the new PFAS thresholds.