Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB270 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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		-	Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
6		-	Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
7		-	amendment.
8	5		hb0270
9	6
10	7		HOUSE BILL 270
11	8		M5, M3, C8 5lr1430
12	9		(PRE–FILED) CF SB 116
13	10		By: Delegate Crosby
14	11		Requested: October 28, 2024
15	12		Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
16	13		Assigned to: Economic Matters
17		-	Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
18		-	House action: Adopted
19		-	Read second time: February 12, 2025
20	14
21		-	~~CHAPTER ______~~
	15	+	A BILL ENTITLED
22	16
23	17		AN ACT concerning 1
24	18
25	19		Data Center Impact Analysis and Report 2
26	20
27	21		FOR the purpose of requiring the Department of the Environment, the Maryland Energy 3
28	22		Administration, and the University of Maryland School of Business, in coordination 4
29	23		with the Department of Legislative Services, to conduct an analysis of the likely 5
30	24		environmental, energy, and economic impacts of data center development in the 6
31	25		State; and generally relating to data centers. 7
32	26
33	27		SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 8
34	28		That: 9
35	29
36	30		(a) The Department of the Environment, the Maryland Energy Administration, 10
37	31		and the University of Maryland School of Business, in coordination with the Department 11
38	32		of Legislative Services, shall conduct an analysis of the likely environmental, energy, and 12
39	33		economic impacts of data center development in the State. 13
40	34
41	35		(b) The analysis shall include: 14
42	36
43	37		(1) an assessment by the Department of the Environment of the potential 15
44	38		impacts of the data center industry on the natural resources of the State, including an 16
45	39		evaluation of: 17
46	40
47	41		(i) the potential impacts on air and water quality; 18
48		-	2 HOUSE BILL 270
49	42
	43	+	(ii) the potential impacts on the State’s ability to meet its bay 19
	44	+	restoration goals and other environmental objectives; and 20
50	45
51		-	(ii) the potential impacts on the State’s ability to meet its bay 1
52		-	restoration goals and other environmental objectives; and 2
53		-
54		-	(iii) the availability of technologies that could mitigate the 3
55		-	environmental impacts of data centers, and the feasibility of implementing these 4
56		-	technologies in the State; 5
57		-
58		-	(2) an assessment by the Maryland Energy Administration of the potential 6
59		-	energy impacts of the data center industry, including an evaluation of: 7
60		-
61		-	(i) the energy requirements of data centers; 8
62		-
63		-	(ii) the potential impacts of the data center industry on current and 9
64		-	forecasted energy demand and supply in the State, including how data centers will likely 10
65		-	affect future energy infrastructure needs and costs paid by ratepayers; and 11
66		-
67		-	(iii) the potential impacts of the data center industry on the State’s 12
68		-	ability to meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitments and clean energy goals; 13
69		-	and 14
70		-
71		-	(3) an assessment by the University of Maryland School of Business, in 15
72		-	consultation with industry experts, of the potential economic and fiscal impacts of the data 16
73		-	center industry in the State, including an evaluation of: 17
74		-
75		-	(i) the likely impact of data centers on State and local revenues and 18
76		-	expenditures; and 19
77		-
78		-	(ii) the jobs likely to be created through the construction and 20
79		-	operation of data centers. 21
80		-
81		-	(c) (1) The Department of Legislative Services shall coordinate the 22
82		-	preparation of the analysis and synthesize the assessments by the Department of the 23
83		-	Environment, the Maryland Energy Administration, and the University of Maryland 24
84		-	School of Business into a final report. 25
85		-
86		-	(2) At the request of the Department of Legislative Services, other relevant 26
87		-	units of State government, including the Department of Natural Resources, the 27
88		-	Department of Assessments and Taxation, the Department of Commerce, and the Public 28
89		-	Service Commission, shall provide any information necessary to complete the analysis. 29
90		-
91		-	(3) On or before September 1, 2026, the Department of Legislative Services 30
92		-	shall submit the final report to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State 31
93		-	Government Article, the General Assembly. 32
94		-
95		-	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That th is Act shall take effect July 33
96		-	1, 2025. It shall remain effective for a period of 2 years and, at the end of June 30, 2027, 34 HOUSE BILL 270 3
97		-
98		-
99		-	this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 1
100		-	of no further force and effect. 2
	46	+	(iii) the availability of technologies that could mitigate the 21
	47	+	environmental impacts of data centers, and the feasibility of implementing these 22
	48	+	technologies in the State; 23 2 HOUSE BILL 270
101	49
102	50
103	51
	52	+	(2) an assessment by the Maryland Energy Administration of the potential 1
	53	+	energy impacts of the data center industry, including an evaluation of: 2
104	54
	55	+	(i) the energy requirements of data centers; 3
105	56
106		-	Approved:
107		-	________________________________________________________________________________
108		-	Governor.
109		-	________________________________________________________________________________
110		-	Speaker of the House of Delegates.
111		-	________________________________________________________________________________
112		-	President of the Senate.
	57	+	(ii) the potential impacts of the data center industry on current and 4
	58	+	forecasted energy demand and supply in the State, including how data centers will likely 5
	59	+	affect future energy infrastructure needs and costs paid by ratepayers; and 6
	60	+
	61	+	(iii) the potential impacts of the data center industry on the State’s 7
	62	+	ability to meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitments and clean energy goals; 8
	63	+	and 9
	64	+
	65	+	(3) an assessment by the University of Maryland School of Business of the 10
	66	+	potential economic and fiscal impacts of the data center industry in the State, including an 11
	67	+	evaluation of: 12
	68	+
	69	+	(i) the likely impact of data centers on State and local revenues and 13
	70	+	expenditures; and 14
	71	+
	72	+	(ii) the jobs likely to be created through the construction and 15
	73	+	operation of data centers. 16
	74	+
	75	+	(c) (1) The Department of Legislative Services shall coordinate the 17
	76	+	preparation of the analysis and synthesize the assessments by the Department of the 18
	77	+	Environment, the Maryland Energy Administration, and the University of Maryland 19
	78	+	School of Business into a final report. 20
	79	+
	80	+	(2) At the request of the Department of Legislative Services, other relevant 21
	81	+	units of State government, including the Department of Natural Resources, the 22
	82	+	Department of Assessments and Taxation, the Department of Commerce, and the Public 23
	83	+	Service Commission, shall provide any information necessary to complete the analysis. 24
	84	+
	85	+	(3) On or before September 1, 2026, the Department of Legislative Services 25
	86	+	shall submit the final report to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State 26
	87	+	Government Article, the General Assembly. 27
	88	+
	89	+	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 28
	90	+	1, 2025. It shall remain effective for a period of 2 years and, at the end of June 30, 2027, 29
	91	+	this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 30
	92	+	of no further force and effect. 31
	93	+