Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1417 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1417
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1417
8	8	M5, P2 5lr1216
9	9	CF SB 480
10	10	By: Delegates Adams, Hornberger, Hutchinson, Pippy, and Sample –Hughes
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Economic Matters
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Department of General Services – Clean Energy Procurement Program – 2
19	19	Establishment 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of requiring the Department of General Services, in consultation with the 4
22	22	Maryland Green Purchasing Committee, the University System of Maryland, and 5
23	23	the Maryland Clean Energy Center, to establish a Clean Energy Procurement 6
24	24	Program in the Department on or before a certain date; requiring the Department, 7
25	25	in consultation with the Maryland Green Purchasing Committee, the University 8
26	26	System of Maryland, and the Maryland Clean Energy Center, to issue a certain 9
27	27	solicitation for a biogas contract; authorizing the Department to enter into a contract 10
28	28	to procure biogas; requiring the Department to collect certain data and analyze 11
29	29	certain environmental and economic costs and benefits; requiring the University 12
30	30	System of Maryland to complete a certain lifecycle analysis; requiring the Power 13
31	31	Plant Research Program to reimburse the University System of Maryland for costs 14
32	32	incurred to complete the lifecycle analysis; and generally relating to the Clean 15
33	33	Energy Procurement Program. 16
34	34
35	35	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 17
36	36	Article – Public Utilities 18
37	37	Section 7–704.4(a)(1) and (3) 19
38	38	Annotated Code of Maryland 20
39	39	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 21
40	40
41	41	BY adding to 22
42	42	Article – State Finance and Procurement 23
43	43	Section 4–325 and 4–326 to be under the new part “Part IV. State Purchase of 24
44	44	Energy” 25
45	45	Annotated Code of Maryland 26
46	46	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 27
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 1417
48	48
49	49
50	50	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
51	51	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2
52	52
53	53	Article – Public Utilities 3
54	54
55	55	7–704.4. 4
56	56
57	57	(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 5
58	58
59	59	(3) “Social cost of greenhouse gases” means the most recent social cost of 6
60	60	greenhouse gases adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 7
61	61
62	62	Article – State Finance and Procurement 8
63	63
64	64	4–323. RESERVED. 9
65	65
66	66	4–324. RESERVED. 10
67	67
68	68	PART IV. STATE PURCHASE OF ENERGY. 11
69	69
70	70	4–325. 12
71	71
72	72	(A) IN THIS PART THE FOLL OWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 13
73	73	INDICATED. 14
74	74
75	75	(B) “COMMITTEE” MEANS THE MARYLAND GREEN PURCHASING 15
76	76	COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED UNDER § 14–410 OF THIS ARTICLE. 16
77	77
78	78	(C) “PROGRAM” MEANS THE CLEAN ENERGY PROCUREMENT PROGRAM. 17
79	79
80	80	(D) “SOCIAL COST OF GREENH OUSE GASES” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 18
81	81	7–704.4 OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES ARTICLE. 19
82	82
83	83	4–326. 20
84	84
85	85	(A) ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2026, THE DEPARTMENT , IN 21
86	86	CONSULTATION WITH TH E COMMITTEE, THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND, 22
87	87	AND THE MARYLAND CLEAN ENERGY CENTER, SHALL ESTABLISH A CLEAN ENERGY 23
88	88	PROCUREMENT PROGRAM IN THE DEPARTMENT . 24
89	89
90	90	(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO PROCURE BIOGAS FOR USE AS A 25
91	91	FUEL IN THE STATE’S TRANSPORTATION AND BUILDING SECTORS TO EVALUATE THE 26
92	92	ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOM IC BENEFITS AND COST S OF REPLACING FOSSI L 27
93	93	NATURAL GAS WITH BIOGAS, ON A SHORT –TERM AND LONG –TERM BASIS, IN 28 HOUSE BILL 1417 3
94	94
95	95
96	96	FURTHERANCE OF THE STATE’S NET–ZERO STATEWIDE GREEN HOUSE GAS 1
97	97	EMISSIONS REDUCTION GOALS. 2
98	98
99	99	(C) (1) UNDER THE PROGRAM, THE DEPARTMENT , IN CONSULTATION 3
100	100	WITH THE COMMITTEE, THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND, AND THE 4
101	101	MARYLAND CLEAN ENERGY CENTER: 5
102	102
103	103	(I) SHALL ISSUE A COMPET ITIVE SEALED PROCURE MENT 6
104	104	SOLICITATION FOR BIOGAS; AND 7
105	105
106	106	(II) MAY ENTER INTO AT LE AST ONE CONTRACT TO PROCURE 8
107	107	BIOGAS. 9
108	108
109	109	(2) WHEN ISSUING THE INVI TATION FOR BIDS UNDE R THIS 10
110	110	SUBSECTION, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION : 11
111	111
112	112	(I) THE COST–EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ADOPTION OF BIOGAS; 12
113	113
114	114	(II) THE SOCIAL COST OF G REENHOUSE GASES ; AND 13
115	115
116	116	(III) THE STATE’S CLIMATE COMMITMENTS UNDER § 2–1204.2 14
117	117	OF THE ENVIRONMENT ARTICLE. 15
118	118
119	119	(3) (I) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBPARAGRAPH (II) OF THIS 16
120	120	PARAGRAPH , BIOGAS PROCURED THROUGH A C ONTRACT UNDER PARAGR APH (1) OF 17
121	121	THIS SUBSECTION SHAL L BE GENERATED IN TH E STATE. 18
122	122
123	123	(II) IF SUFFICIENT BIOGAS GENERATED IN THE STATE IS NOT 19
124	124	REASONABLY AVAILABLE FOR THE PROGRAM, THE STATE MAY PROCURE BIOGAS 20
125	125	FROM SOURCES OUTSIDE THE STATE. 21
126	126
127	127	(D) (1) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL : 22
128	128
129	129	(I) COLLECT DATA ON THE AVERAGE CONSU MPTION OF 23
130	130	NATURAL GAS IN THE STATE AND PROVIDE THE DATA TO THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM 24
131	131	OF MARYLAND TO DETERMINE WHETHER BIOGAS MAY SUPPORT THE STATE’S 25
132	132	CLIMATE COMMITMENTS UNDER § 2–1204.2 OF THE ENVIRONMENT ARTICLE; AND 26
133	133
134	134	(II) ANALYZE THE ENVIRONM ENTAL AND ECONOMIC COSTS AND 27
135	135	BENEFITS OF EXPAND ING THE USE OF BIOGAS IN THE TRANSPORTATIO N AND 28
136	136	BUILDING SECTORS IN THE STATE. 29
137	137	4 HOUSE BILL 1417
138	138
139	139
140	140	(2) (I) THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND SHALL 1
141	141	COMPLETE A CARBON LIFECYCLE ANA LYSIS OF BIOGAS AND PROVIDE THE RESU LTS 2
142	142	TO THE DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMITTEE. 3
143	143
144	144	(II) THE POWER PLANT RESEARCH PROGRAM ESTABLISHED 4
145	145	UNDER TITLE 3, SUBTITLE 3 OF THE NATURAL RESOURCES ARTICLE SHALL 5
146	146	REIMBURSE THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND FOR COSTS IN CURRED TO 6
147	147	COMPLETE THE CARBON LIFECYCLE ANALYSIS R EQUIRED UNDER SUBPAR AGRAPH 7
148	148	(I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH . 8
149	149
150	150	(E) THE REQUIREMENTS OF T HIS SECTION APPLY ONLY IF: 9
151	151
152	152	(1) BIOGAS IS COMPETITIVE LY PRICED; 10
153	153
154	154	(2) THE QUALITY OF THE BIOGAS IS SATISFACTORY FOR THE 11
155	155	INTENDED PURPOSE ; AND 12
156	156
157	157	(3) BIOGAS IS READILY AVA ILABLE. 13
158	158
159	159	(F) THE PROGRAM SHALL TERMINA TE ON DECEMBER 31, 2028. 14
160	160
161	161	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 15
162	162	October 1, 2025. It shall remain effective for a period of 3 years and 9 months and, at the 16
163	163	end of June 30, 2029, this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, 17
164	164	shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 18
165	165