Maryland Legislative Priorities 2026
Affordable Solar Act (HB0345)
Sponsors: Delegate Lorig Charkoudian and Senator Benjamin Brooks
The federal administration’s antagonism toward the solar energy industry attempts to destabilize the market and will cause utility bills to rise across the nation. This bill is designed to fight back against these changes. The bill reforms Maryland’s Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program to ensure each solar project gets the exact incentive it needs to ensure construction. It also authorizes plug-in solar and ensures ratepayer money for solar is used for solar (and not used to balance the budget).
Climate Crimes Lawsuit Authorization and Restitution Fund
Sponsors: Delegate Sheila Ruth and Senator Sara Love
This bill authorizes the Attorney General to hold the very large fossil fuel companies accountable for their deception and criminal business practices related to climate change. It also creates a Climate Crimes Accountability Fund for managing any funds collected from any settlements or judgements that materialize from these lawsuits. Lastly, the bill exempts climate accountability suits from the Uniform Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act in order to ensure the most liable companies are able to be held more responsible than smaller companies.
Transportation and Climate Alignment Act (SB0059)
Sponsors: Delegate Mark Edelson and Senator Shelly Hettleman
The Transportation and Climate Alignment Act, introduced by Senator Hettleman and Delegate Edelson, would save the average Maryland household over $3,000 a year in reduced transportation costs and save the state up to $550 million a year. It is based legislation that passed in Colorado and Minnesota and over 78% of Marylanders support the idea. The Transportation and Climate Alignment Act would increase investment in public transportation by requiring that a portion of the state capital funds spent on transportation go to projects that will reduce pollution. Today those funds are invested almost exclusively on capital projects to build or expand highways. By investing in a broader set of transportation options we can give Marylanders more options, lower costs, prevent fatal car crashes, and improve air quality.
Data Center Demand Response Act
Sponsors: Delegate Lorig Charkoudian and Senator Katie Fry Hester
One of the most harmful and expensive aspects of unmitigated data center development is their outsized demands on the energy grid and the associated costs for ratepayers. This bill creates a voluntary program in Maryland that would require data centers to decrease their reliance on the grid on peak energy days. The bill would require these large load centers to use battery storage, flexible load, and other non-emitting technologies in order to operate at full energy usage during these peak demand days. The bill also creates a priority fast path process for data centers that either bring their own behind the meter battery storage for 100% of load, pair with new battery storage projects in the same utility service area, agree to demand response requirements, in addition to paying prevailing wage for all construction jobs on the project.
Land-Based Wind Study
Sponsors: Delegate Andre Johnson and Senator Benjamin Brooks
More than a decade ago Maryland passed legislation effectively preventing onshore wind from being built in Southern Maryland due to concerns about interfering with the Pax River Naval Air Base. Today, technology has come a long way. Turbines can now be built where it was not economically feasible to build them before, and novel approaches have been used to ensure turbines don’t interfere with the radar systems of an air base. Senator Brooks and Delegate Johnson are introducing a bill that would direct the state to look again at how much wind could be built onshore in Maryland and what options exist for mitigating radar interference.
There are other bills that we are supporting and following during this legislative session.
We will keep our base and coalition partners updated as the full slate of bills we are supporting coalesce!
