Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB213 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	hb0213
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 213
8	8	C5, M5 5lr1020
9	9	(PRE–FILED)
10	10	By: Delegate Mangione
11	11	Requested: October 1, 2024
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Economic Matters
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Public Utilities – Natural Gas Energy Generation – Authorization and 2
20	20	Limitation 3
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of authorizing the construction, permitting, and operation of energy 4
23	23	generating systems that produce energy from natural gas until the State meets 5
24	24	certain energy goals; establishing certain requirements for energy generating 6
25	25	systems that produce energy from natural gas; requiring the Department of the 7
26	26	Environment to approve or deny an application for the construction of a new energy 8
27	27	generating system that produces energy from natural gas; prohibiting the 9
28	28	construction, permitting, or operation of an energy generating system that produces 10
29	29	energy from natural gas after a certain goal is met; requiring certain energy 11
30	30	generating systems to be decommissioned or transition to a system that produces 12
31	31	energy solely from renewable energy resources within a certain time frame; and 13
32	32	generally relating to the State’s renewable energy goals and energy generating 14
33	33	systems that produce natural gas. 15
34	34
35	35	BY adding to 16
36	36	Article – Public Utilities 17
37	37	Section 7–218 18
38	38	Annotated Code of Maryland 19
39	39	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 20
40	40
41	41	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21
42	42	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22
43	43
44	44	Article – Public Utilities 23
45	45
46	46	7–218. 24
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 213
48	48
49	49
50	50	(A) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FINDS THAT : 1
51	51
52	52	(1) THE STATE IS COMMITTED TO ACHIEVING THE GOAL OF MEETING 2
53	53	100% OF ITS ENERGY NEEDS THROUGH RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES AND 3
54	54	SOURCES WITH NET–ZERO EMISSIONS; 4
55	55
56	56	(2) THE CURRENT ENERGY G ENERATION INFRASTRUC TURE MAY 5
57	57	FACE CHALLENGES IN THE SHORT TERM IN MEETING THE STATE’S GROWING 6
58	58	ENERGY NEEDS SOLELY FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES; 7
59	59
60	60	(3) TO ENSURE ENERGY REL IABILITY AND SECURITY , IT IS 8
61	61	NECESSARY TO TE MPORARILY ALLOW THE CONSTRUCTION OF ENERGY 9
62	62	GENERATIN G SYSTEMS THAT PRODUCE ENERGY FROM NATURAL GAS WHILE 10
63	63	ENERGY CAPACITY FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY RES OURCES CONTINUES TO GROW; 11
64	64	AND 12
65	65
66	66	(4) NATURAL GAS PROVIDES A MORE RELIABLE AND LOWER–CARBON 13
67	67	ALTERNATIVE COMPARED TO COAL AND OIL, OFFERING A TRANSITIO NAL SOLUTION 14
68	68	AS THE STATE WORKS TO ACHIEV E ITS LONG–TERM CLIMATE AND ENE RGY GOALS. 15
69	69
70	70	(B) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY O THER PROVISION OF LA W, AND SUBJECT TO 16
71	71	SUBSECTION S (C), (D), (E), AND (F) OF THIS SECTION , ENERGY GENERATING 17
72	72	SYSTEMS THAT PRODUCE ENERGY FROM NATURAL GAS MAY BE C ONSTRUCTED , 18
73	73	PERMITTED, AND OPERATED UNTIL THE STATE REACHES THE GOAL OF MEETING 19
74	74	100% OF ITS ENERGY NEEDS FROM RENEWABLE ENERG Y RESOURCES , INCLUDING 20
75	75	NUCLEAR ENERGY . 21
76	76
77	77	(C) A PERSON CONSTRUCTING AN ENERGY GENERATING SY STEM UNDER 22
78	78	THIS SECTION SHALL COMPLY WITH THE PROV ISIONS OF THIS SUBTITLE RELATING 23
79	79	TO REQUIREMENT S TO OBTAIN: 24
80	80
81	81	(1) A CERTIFICATE OF PUB LIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY; OR 25
82	82
83	83	(2) COMMISSION APPROVAL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 26
84	84	GENERATING SYSTEM . 27
85	85
86	86	(D) (1) (I) IN ADDITION TO ANY AP PROVAL NECESSARY TO COMPLY 28
87	87	WITH SUBSECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION, A PERSON SHALL OBTAI N APPROVAL FROM 29
88	88	THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT BEFORE CONSTRUCTING AN ENERGY 30
89	89	GENERATIN G SYSTEM THAT PRODUCES ENERGY FROM NATURAL GAS . 31
90	90
91	91	(II) WHEN A PERSON APPLIES FOR APPROVAL UNDER 32
92	92	SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH , THE PERSON SHALL PRO VIDE TO THE 33 HOUSE BILL 213 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT A TRANSIT ION PLAN OUTLINING H OW THE 1
96	96	SYSTEM WILL BE DECOM MISSIONED OR TRANSITIONED TO PROD UCE ENERGY 2
97	97	SOLELY FROM RENEWABL E ENERGY RESOURCES W HEN THE STATE REACHES THE 3
98	98	GOAL OF MEETING 100% OF ITS ENERGY NEEDS FROM RENEWABLE ENERG Y 4
99	99	RESOURCES. 5
100	100
101	101	(2) (I) THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT SHALL REV IEW 6
102	102	AND APPROVE OR DENY AN APPLICATION FOR THE CON STRUCTION OF A NEW 7
103	103	ENERGY GENERATING SY STEM THAT PRODUCES E NERGY FROM NATURAL G AS. 8
104	104
105	105	(II) IN APPROVING OR DENYI NG AN APPLICATION SUBMITTED 9
106	106	UNDER THIS SUBSECTIO N, THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT SHALL 10
107	107	CONSIDER: 11
108	108
109	109	1. THE ENVIRONMENTAL IM PACT OF THE SYSTEM; AND 12
110	110
111	111	2. WHETHER THE SYSTEM IS NECESSARY TO MEET THE 13
112	112	STATE’S ENERGY NEEDS . 14
113	113
114	114	(E) AN ENERGY GENERATING SYSTEM THAT PRODUCES ENERGY FROM 15
115	115	NATURAL GAS SHALL US E THE BEST AVAILABLE EMISSIONS CONTROL 16
116	116	TECHNOLOGIES TO MIN IMIZE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. 17
117	117
118	118	(F) (1) AN ENERGY GENERATING SY STEM THAT PRODUCES ENERGY 18
119	119	FROM NATURAL GAS MAY NOT BE CONSTRUCTED , PERMITTED, OR OPERATED AFTER 19
120	120	THE STATE REACHES THE GOAL OF MEETING 100% OF ITS ENERGY NEEDS FROM 20
121	121	RENEWABLE ENERGY RES OURCES. 21
122	122
123	123	(2) WITHIN 10 YEARS AFTER THE STATE REACHES THE GOAL OF 22
124	124	MEETING 100% OF ITS ENERGY NEEDS FROM RENEWABLE ENERG Y RESOURCES , 23
125	125	EACH ENERGY GENERATI NG SYSTEM THAT PRODUCES ENERGY FROM NATURAL GAS 24
126	126	SHALL BE: 25
127	127
128	128	(I) DECOMMISSIONED ; OR 26
129	129
130	130	(II) TRANSITION ED TO A SYSTEM THAT PRODUCES ENERGY 27
131	131	SOLELY FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY RES OURCES. 28
132	132
133	133	(G) ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 31 EACH YEAR, THE COMMISSION, IN 29
134	134	CONSULTATION WITH TH E DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT , SHALL SUBMIT AN 30
135	135	ANNUAL REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF 31
136	136	THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE: 32
137	137	4 HOUSE BILL 213
138	138
139	139
140	140	(1) ON THE PROGRESS MADE TOWARD MEETING THE STATE’S 1
141	141	RENEWABLE ENERGY GOA LS; 2
142	142
143	143	(2) ON THE ROLE OF ENERG Y GENERATED FROM NAT URAL GAS IN THE 3
144	144	STATE’S ENERGY PORTFOLIO ; AND 4
145	145
146	146	(3) THAT INCLUDES UPDATED PROJECTIONS ON WHEN THE STATE 5
147	147	WILL REACH ITS GOAL OF MEETING 100% OF ITS ENERGY NEEDS THROUGH 6
148	148	RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES. 7
149	149
150	150	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That it is the intent of the General 8
151	151	Assembly that, to the extent that the provisions of this Act are inconsistent with any other 9
152	152	provision of law, the provisions of this Act will prevail. 10
153	153
154	154	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, if any provision of this Act or 11
155	155	the application of any provision of this Act to any person or circumstance is held invalid for 12
156	156	any reason in a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity does not affect other 13
157	157	provisions or any other application of this Act that can be given effect without the invalid 14
158	158	provision or application, and for this purpose the provisions of this Act are declared 15
159	159	severable. 16
160	160
161	161	SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 17
162	162	1, 2025. 18