447th Session of the Maryland General Assembly

By Valerie Connelly, Vice President Government Affairs & Public Relations

The Maryland General Assembly convened its annual 90-day session on January 11 and will conclude on April 7 at midnight. The top two issues of debate for legislators this year are budget and energy policy. This puts Choptank on high alert and has us watching very closely to make sure new ideas do not result in higher bills for Choptank members.  
The budget discussion revolves around the $3 billion state deficit. Maryland’s constitution requires a balanced budget to be submitted by the Governor and passed by the Legislature. To bring spending in line with anticipated revenues, Governor Wes Moore proposed changes to personal and business income tax and delays to many projects, including the Blueprint for Education.
  
There are rumors that a special session of the General Assembly will be called over the summer to further adjust the budget as changes are made to programs and workforce numbers at the federal level.
 
On the energy front, a combination of supply challenges regionally, high winter electric bills for customers of Delmarva Power and BGE, and disputes over land use for high voltage transmission lines and solar projects have erupted into more than 90 different bills for reform. Legislators are debating how to incentivize nuclear generation, whether data centers should be allowed to co-locate and disrupt the traditional flow of energy onto the distribution grid, who should pay for upgrades to the grid, how to secure battery storage for peak energy demand and what role local governments should play in the siting of new facilities.
  
Many legislative leaders are also calling into question state renewable energy goals of the last decade, which are shutting down fossil fuel facilities before replacement generation is available. This was most apparent when the regional grid manager, PJM, saw a nine-fold increase in the cost of electricity in its annual capacity market auction.  
As a member-owned electric cooperative, Choptank’s priorities in Annapolis are protecting our members from rate impacts and ensuring efficient electric distribution throughout our service territory. We are working to balance the need for energy efficiency and renewables while maintaining reliable, dispatchable electricity for the peaks on frigid winter mornings and hot summer afternoons.
  
To check the final results of the 90-day session, log on to the Maryland General Assembly website at                    > https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/.