At midnight on April 7, the Maryland legislative session of 2025 comes to a close, and I think this year gets the award for “most improved.” 

Just one month ago, it looked like lawmakers would pass legislation to build a gas plant, delay clean car regulations, and gut Maryland’s Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS). But CCAN Action Fund and our allies were able to beat back all of those attempts to weaken climate policies in Maryland. AND we were able to achieve some major victories of our own  – on solar siting, data centers, battery storage, waste incineration, and making carbon polluters pay for climate damage.

We were headed for a ship wreck, in other words, and our grassroots advocacy turned the ship around. It has never been clearer to me that the phone calls, emails, rallies, and everything else we do together can transform what happens in Annapolis. Congratulations on a job well done!

Here is a breakdown of some of the bills that did and didn’t pass this year: 

VICTORIES

RENEW Act Study Bill (HB0128/SB0149)– PASSED!- This was one of our biggest wins this year. The Maryland General Assembly committed to the first step of ‘Making Polluters Pay’ by requiring the Comptroller’s Office to lead a study to quantify the cost-impacts of climate change in the state. We will be the third state, after Vermont and New York, to pass legislation in support of enacting the climate superfund principle. To make fossil fuel companies pay for the cost of climate change, we will have to come back to the general assembly with another bill after the study is done.  Read more about this historic moment in the CCAN AF press release. 

Abundant, Affordable Clean Energy Act (HB0398/SB0316)– Some of the provisions from the well-thought out, well supported AACE Act were incorporated into the Next Generation Energy Act. In particular, the transmission-connected and distribution-connected battery storage procurement, community benefit agreements for the battery storage projects, and a limited version of the alternative compliance payment refund to utility customers were the provisions added to the leadership energy package. 

Renewable Energy Certainty Act (HB1036/SB0931)– PASSED- This bill is a compromise between the urgency of the full deployment of clean energy and the importance of protecting farmland in the state. The bill standardizes siting requirements for large scale solar and battery storage projects across the state, requires rooftop solar companies to follow best practices to protect customers from bad actors in the industry, and requires the state to identify state-owned land suitable for solar energy development. The legislation codifies language that keeps solar development confined to 5% of priority preservation areas and allows counties to create more strict regulations for large solar after that threshold is met. The bill also fast-tracks the CPCN process for some solar projects.

Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act (HB1037/SB0909)– PASSED- This legislation creates the Strategic Energy Planning Office to ensure legislators have non-partisan, state-led information and planning resources to consider when making critical energy decisions. 

UNFORTUNATE LOSSES

Better Buildings Act (HB0973/SB0804)– The Better Buildings Act did not move during this legislative session. This vital building electrification legislation is a critical part of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state, lowering utility bills, and advancing public health. 

BILLS THAT GET THE AWARD FOR MOST IMPROVED

Next Generation Energy Act (HB1035/SB0937)– PASSED- Due to our fierce advocacy, the final language of this bill has many positive provisions. The omnibus bill includes provisions to regulate utility spending, prevent unnecessary gas distribution expansion, protect ratepayers, prevent the socialization of data center costs, build battery storage in Maryland, and take trash incineration out of the Renewable Portfolio Standard. Read more about the bill and our analysis of the final language in the CCAN AF press release. 

BEPS Alterations (HB0049/SB0256)– In 2022, the Maryland legislature created a Building Energy Performance Standard (BEPS) which requires all existing large buildings to eliminate their onsite emissions by 2040. BEPS regulations are currently finalized and in full effect in Maryland. This year the Maryland Department of the Environment introduced a bill to make tweaks to the program and help them better implement it. At one point, a number of lawmakers wanted to amend this bill to essentially gut BEPS entirely, but we were able to defeat those attempted changes. The final bill weakens the program slightly, but leaves the vast majority of BEPS regulations in place. 

Advanced Clean Cars and Advanced Clean Trucks Rollback (HB1556)–  Late in the legislative session, a bill was introduced that would prevent Maryland from enforcing Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks regulations for two years. This bill would have reduced the sales of electric vehicles in Maryland, but even more troubling it would have had a negative national impact as Maryland would have been the first state to enact a policy like this one. I am happy to say we were able to prevent that bill from passing. Unfortunately, when it became clear this bill wouldn’t move, Governor Moore issued an executive order that is very similar to what this bill would have done. Compared to the bill, the executive order is better, but it still weakens our programs for clean cars and trucks. You can read Governor Moore’s Executive Order here. 

This legislative session was a tough, tough few months. However, our advocacy changed the trajectory of the session in a tangible way. Without our advocacy, Maryland would be on a drastically different greenhouse gas emissions pathway. Now, as we pivot into the interim, please stay engaged and help us build a fiercer, bolder, more diverse coalition so we can prepare for bigger wins next year!

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