Maryland 2024 2024 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB990 Enrolled / Bill

Filed 04/09/2024

                     
 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW. 
        [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. 
         Underlining indicates amendments to bill. 
         Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by 
amendment. 
         Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments. 
          *hb0990*  
  
HOUSE BILL 990 
M3   	(4lr2726) 
ENROLLED BILL 
— Environment and Transportation and Economic Matters/Education, Energy, and 
the Environment — 
Introduced by Delegate Stein 
 
Read and Examined by Proofreaders: 
 
_______________________________________________ 
Proofreader. 
_______________________________________________ 
Proofreader. 
 
Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this 
  
_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M. 
  
______________________________________________ 
Speaker.  
 
CHAPTER ______ 
 
AN ACT concerning 1 
 
Environment – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions – Manufacturers 2 
 
FOR the purpose of altering the definition of “manufacturing” for purposes of certain 3 
greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements to exclude the production of 4 
cement; altering the application of certain provisions of law regarding the reduction 5 
of greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing sector to apply only to persons 6 
that engaged in manufacturing in a certain year; altering certain prohibitions that 7 
apply to a State agency’s implementation of a final plan to reduce statewide 8 
greenhouse gas emissions; requiring the Department of the Environment to make 9 
certain considerations and consult with certain stakeholders related to the 10 
regulation of the production of cement; and generally relating to greenhouse gas 11 
emissions reductions and manufacturers.  12 
 
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 13  2 	HOUSE BILL 990  
 
 
 Article – Environment 1 
Section 2–1202(a) and 2–1205(a) 2 
 Annotated Code of Maryland 3 
 (2013 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 4 
 
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 5 
 Article – Environment 6 
Section 2–1202(h) and 2–1205(g) and (h) 7 
 Annotated Code of Maryland 8 
 (2013 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 9 
 
BY adding to 10 
 Article – Environment 11 
 Section 2–1205(h) 12 
 Annotated Code of Maryland 13 
 (2013 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 14 
 
 SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15 
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16 
 
Article – Environment 17 
 
2–1202. 18 
 
 (a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 19 
 
 (h) (1) “Manufacturing” means the process of substantially transforming, or a 20 
substantial step in the process of substantially transforming, tangible personal property 21 
into a new and different article of tangible personal property by the use of labor or 22 
machinery. 23 
 
 (2) “Manufacturing”, when performed by companies primarily engaged in 24 
the activities described in paragraph (1) of this subsection, includes: 25 
 
 (i) The operation of saw mills, grain mills, or feed mills; 26 
 
 (ii) The operation of machinery and equipment used to extract and 27 
process minerals, metals, or earthen materials or by–products that result from the 28 
extracting or processing; and 29 
 
 (iii) Research and development activities. 30 
 
 (3) “Manufacturing” does not include: 31 
 
 (i) Activities that are primarily a service; 32 
 
 (ii) Activities that are intellectual, artistic, or clerical in nature; 33   	HOUSE BILL 990 	3 
 
 
 
 (iii) Public utility services, including gas, electric, water, and steam 1 
production services; [or] 2 
 
 (iv) THE PRODUCTION OF CEM ENT; OR 3 
 
 (V) Any other activity that would not commonly be considered as 4 
manufacturing. 5 
 
2–1205. 6 
 
 (a) The State shall develop plans, adopt regulations, and implement programs 7 
that reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with this subtitle. 8 
 
 (g) (1) PARAGRAPHS (2) AND (3) OF THIS SUBSECTION A PPLY ONLY TO 9 
PERSONS WHO ENGAGED IN MAN UFACTURING IN 2023. 10 
 
 (2) (I) Unless required by federal law or regulations or existing State 11 
law, regulations adopted by State agencies to implement a final plan may not: 12 
 
 [(i)] 1. Require ANY MANUFACTURER TO REDUCE greenhouse 13 
gas emissions [reductions from the State’s manufacturing sector] BELOW THE EMISSIONS 14 
LEVELS FOR THAT MANU FACTURER IN 2023; or 15 
 
 [(ii)] 2. Cause [a significant] AN increase in costs to [the State’s 16 
manufacturing sector] A MANUFACTURER THAT ARE SIGNIFICANTLY BE YOND THE 17 
COSTS THAT WERE INCU RRED BY THAT MANUFAC TURER IN 2023; OR 18 
 
 3. REQUIRE ANY MANUFACTU RER THAT IS ENGAGED IN 19 
THE CREATION OF RENE WABLE ENERGY COMPONE NTS OR TECHNOLOGY AI MED AT 20 
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISS IONS REDU CTIONS TO REDUCE GRE ENHOUSE GAS 21 
EMISSIONS. 22 
 
 [(2)] (II) [Paragraph (1)] SUBPARAGRAPH (I) of this [subsection] 23 
PARAGRAPH may not be construed to exempt greenhouse gas emissions sources in the 24 
State’s manufacturing sector from the obligation to comply with: 25 
 
 [(i)] 1. Greenhouse gas emissions monitoring, recordkeeping, and 26 
reporting requirements for which the Department had existing authority under § 2–301(a) 27 
of this title on or before October 1, 2009; or 28 
 
 [(ii)] 2. Greenhouse gas emissions reductions required of the 29 
manufacturing sector as a result of the State’s implementation of the Regional Greenhouse 30 
Gas Initiative. 31 
  4 	HOUSE BILL 990  
 
 
 [(h)] (3) A regulation adopted by a State agency for the purpose of reducing 1 
greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with this section may not be construed to result in 2 
a significant increase in costs to the State’s manufacturing sector unless the source would 3 
not incur the cost increase but for the new regulation. 4 
 
 (H) (1) AS PART OF THE CONSID ERATION OF ANY REGUL ATION OF THE 5 
PRODUCTION OF CEMENT UNDER T HIS SECTION, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL 6 
CONSIDER: 7 
 
 (I) THE EXTENT TO WHICH C EMENT MANUFACTURING IS AN 8 
ENERGY INTENSIVE AND TRADE EXPOSED INDUST RY; 9 
 
 (II) CREDIT FOR EARLY ACTI ON INVESTMENTS MADE BY 10 
CEMENT PRODUCERS TO REDUCE EMISSIONS OR FOR THE MANUFACTURIN G OF 11 
ALTERNATIVE MATERIAL S THAT RESULT IN GRE ENHOUSE GAS EMISSION S 12 
REDUCTIONS ; 13 
 
 (III) THE ADOPTION OF POLIC	IES THAT ENCOURAGE , 14 
FACILITATE, AND OFFER FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR THE U SE OF ALTERNATIVE 15 
FUEL SOURCES ; 16 
 
 (IV) THE AVAILABI LITY AND COST OF MAT URE GREENHOUSE 17 
GAS ABATEMENT TECHNO LOGIES; AND 18 
 
 (V) ADVANCING POLICIES TH AT PROVIDE FINANCIAL 19 
INCENTIVES TO OFFSET THE COSTS OF INSTALL ING AND TRANSITIONIN G TO 20 
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISS IONS ABATEMENT TECHN OLOGIES, INCLUDING THE 21 
MANUFACTUR ING OF MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY THAT RESU LTS IN GREENHOUSE 22 
GAS EMISSIONS REDUCT IONS. 23 
 
 (2) IN CONSIDERING THE FE ASIBILITY OF REGULAT ION AND THE 24 
ITEMS UNDER PARAGRAP H (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE DEPARTMENT SHALL 25 
CONSULT WITH IMPACTE D CEMENT PRODUCERS A ND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS . 26 
 
 SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 27 
October 1, 2024. 28