Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB640 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	hb0640
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 640
8	8	C5 5lr1266
9	9	CF SB 34
10	10	By: Delegates Guyton, Allen, Fair, Griffith, A. Johnson, S. Johnson, Kerr, Kipke,
11	11	Lehman, Mangione, McComas, Miller, Pasteur, Patterson, Phillips, Pippy,
12	12	Rose, Ruth, Stonko, Tomlinson, and White Holland
13	13	Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025
14	14	Assigned to: Economic Matters
15	15
16	16	A BILL ENTITLED
17	17
18	18	AN ACT concerning 1
19	19
20	20	Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity – Overhead Transmission Lines 2
21	21	– Conservation Easements 3
22	22
23	23	FOR the purpose of requiring the Public Service Commission to consider the impact of the 4
24	24	development of overhead transmission lines on certain properties subject to an 5
25	25	existing conservation easement in certain proceedings for a certificate of public 6
26	26	convenience and necessity; requiring the Commission to require an applicant for a 7
27	27	certificate of public convenience and necessity for the development of overhead 8
28	28	transmission lines to consider alternative routes for transmission lines affecting 9
29	29	conservation easements or alter proposed routes; and generally relating to 10
30	30	certificates of public convenience and necessity. 11
31	31
32	32	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 12
33	33	Article – Public Utilities 13
34	34	Section 7–207(e) 14
35	35	Annotated Code of Maryland 15
36	36	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 16
37	37
38	38	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 17
39	39	Article – Public Utilities 18
40	40	Section 7–207(f) 19
41	41	Annotated Code of Maryland 20
42	42	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 21
43	43
44	44	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 22
45	45	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 23
46	46
47	47	Article – Public Utilities 24
48	48	2 HOUSE BILL 640
49	49
50	50
51	51	7–207. 1
52	52
53	53	(e) The Commission shall take final action on an application for a certificate of 2
54	54	public convenience and necessity only after due consideration of: 3
55	55
56	56	(1) the recommendation of the governing body of each county or municipal 4
57	57	corporation in which any portion of the construction of the generating station, overhead 5
58	58	transmission line, or qualified generator lead line is proposed to be located; 6
59	59
60	60	(2) the effect of the generating station, overhead transmission line, or 7
61	61	qualified generator lead line on: 8
62	62
63	63	(i) the stability and reliability of the electric system; 9
64	64
65	65	(ii) economics; 10
66	66
67	67	(iii) esthetics; 11
68	68
69	69	(iv) historic sites; 12
70	70
71	71	(v) aviation safety as determined by the Maryland Aviation 13
72	72	Administration and the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration; 14
73	73
74	74	(vi) when applicable, air quality and water pollution; and 15
75	75
76	76	(vii) the availability of means for the required timely disposal of 16
77	77	wastes produced by any generating station; 17
78	78
79	79	(3) the effect of climate change on the generating station, overhead 18
80	80	transmission line, or qualified generator lead line based on the best available scientific 19
81	81	information recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and 20
82	82
83	83	(4) for a generating station: 21
84	84
85	85	(i) the consistency of the application with the comprehensive plan 22
86	86	and zoning of each county or municipal corporation where any portion of the generating 23
87	87	station is proposed to be located; 24
88	88
89	89	(ii) the efforts to resolve any issues presented by a county or 25
90	90	municipal corporation where any portion of the generating station is proposed to be located; 26
91	91
92	92	(iii) the impact of the generating station on the quantity of annual 27
93	93	and long–term statewide greenhouse gas emissions, measured in the manner specified in § 28
94	94	2–1202 of the Environment Article and based on the best available scientific information 29
95	95	recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and 30
96	96	HOUSE BILL 640 3
97	97
98	98
99	99	(iv) the consistency of the application with the State’s climate 1
100	100	commitments for reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions, including those specified 2
101	101	in Title 2, Subtitle 12 of the Environment Article. 3
102	102
103	103	(f) For the construction of an overhead transmission line, in addition to the 4
104	104	considerations listed in subsection (e) of this section, the Commission shall: 5
105	105
106	106	(1) take final action on an application for a certificate of public convenience 6
107	107	and necessity only after due consideration of: 7
108	108
109	109	(i) the need to meet existing and future demand for electric service; 8
110	110	and 9
111	111
112	112	(ii) for construction related to a new overhead transmission line, the 10
113	113	alternative routes that the applicant considered, including: 11
114	114
115	115	1. the estimated capital and operating costs of each 12
116	116	alternative route and a statement of the reason why the alternative route was rejected; 13
117	117	AND 14
118	118
119	119	2. THE IMPACT OF THE PR OPOSED OVERHEAD 15
120	120	TRANSMISSION LINE ON PROPERTIES THAT ARE IN THE ALTERNATIVE R OUTE AND 16
121	121	SUBJECT TO AN EXISTI NG CONSERVATION EASE MENT; 17
122	122
123	123	(2) require as an ongoing condition of the certificate of public convenience 18
124	124	and necessity that an applicant comply with: 19
125	125
126	126	(i) all relevant agreements with PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., or its 20
127	127	successors, related to the ongoing operation and maintenance of the overhead transmission 21
128	128	line; and 22
129	129
130	130	(ii) all obligations imposed by the North America Electric Reliability 23
131	131	Council and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission related to the ongoing operation 24
132	132	and maintenance of the overhead transmission line; [and] 25
133	133
134	134	(3) require the applicant to identify whether the overhead transmission 26
135	135	line is proposed to be constructed on: 27
136	136
137	137	(i) an existing brownfields site; 28
138	138
139	139	(ii) property that is subject to an existing easement; or 29
140	140
141	141	(iii) a site where a tower structure or components of a tower structure 30
142	142	used to support an overhead transmission line exist; AND 31
143	143
144	144	(4) REQUIRE THE APPLICAN T TO: 32 4 HOUSE BILL 640
145	145
146	146
147	147
148	148	(I) MINIMIZE THE IMPACT ON PROPERTIES THAT A RE IN THE 1
149	149	PROPOSED OVERHEAD TR ANSMISSION LINE ROUT E AND SUBJECT TO AN EXISTING 2
150	150	CONSERVATION EASEMENT ; OR 3
151	151
152	152	(II) CHANGE THE PROPOSED OVERHEAD TRANSMISSIO N LINE 4
153	153	ROUTE TO MINIMIZE TH E IMPACT ON PROPERTI ES THAT ARE IN THE P ROPOSED 5
154	154	ROUTE AND SUBJECT TO AN EXISTING CONSERVA TION EASEMENT . 6
155	155
156	156	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 7
157	157	October 1, 2025. 8
158	158