Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB247 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	sb0247
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 247
8	8	C9 5lr0159
9	9	(PRE–FILED) CF HB 155
10	10	By: Chair, Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee (By Request –
11	11	Departmental – Housing and Community Development)
12	12	Requested: October 16, 2024
13	13	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
14	14	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
15	15
16	16	A BILL ENTITLED
17	17
18	18	AN ACT concerning 1
19	19
20	20	Housing and Community Development – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions 2
21	21	– Issuance of Loans and Achievement of Targets 3
22	22
23	23	FOR the purpose of authorizing the Department of Housing and Community Development 4
24	24	to issue loans, in addition to grants, for certain purposes relating to reducing direct 5
25	25	greenhouse gas emissions from certain multifamily residential buildings; expanding 6
26	26	the sources of savings that the Department may include when calculating the 7
27	27	achievement of certain greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets; and generally 8
28	28	relating to greenhouse gas emissions reductions. 9
29	29
30	30	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
31	31	Article – Housing and Community Development 11
32	32	Section 4–211(d) 12
33	33	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
34	34	(2019 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
35	35
36	36	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 15
37	37	Article – Public Utilities 16
38	38	Section 7–224(a) and (b) 17
39	39	Annotated Code of Maryland 18
40	40	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 19
41	41
42	42	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 20
43	43	Article – Public Utilities 21
44	44	Section 7–224(c) 22
45	45	Annotated Code of Maryland 23
46	46	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 24
47	47	2 SENATE BILL 247
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 – Housing and Community Development 3
54	54
55	55	4–211. 4
56	56
57	57	(d) (1) (i) In this subsection the following words have the meanings 5
58	58	indicated. 6
59	59
60	60	(ii) “Covered building” has the meaning stated in § 2–1601 of the 7
61	61	Environment Article. 8
62	62
63	63	(iii) “Energy conservation project” means a project that qualifies 9
64	64	under § 4–218 of this subtitle. 10
65	65
66	66	(2) For the purpose of reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions from 11
67	67	multifamily residential buildings in accordance with the standards adopted under § 2–1602 12
68	68	of the Environment Article, the Administration shall develop and implement a program to 13
69	69	provide grants AND LOANS for energy conservation projects and projects to install 14
70	70	renewable energy generating systems in covered buildings that house primarily low– to 15
71	71	moderate–income households. 16
72	72
73	73	(3) Grants AND LOANS provided under this subsection may not be used for 17
74	74	a project to install new equipment that uses fossil fuels or improve the efficiency of existing 18
75	75	equipment that uses fossil fuels. 19
76	76
77	77	(4) In each of fiscal years 2024 through 2026, the Governor shall include in 20
78	78	the annual budget bill an appropriation of $5,000,000 to the Department for the purpose of 21
79	79	providing grants AND LOANS under this subsection. 22
80	80
81	81	(5) On or before December 1, 2023, and each December 1 thereafter, the 23
82	82	Administration shall report to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State 24
83	83	Government Article, the General Assembly on the projects funded under this subsection. 25
84	84
85	85	Article – Public Utilities 26
86	86
87	87	7–224. 27
88	88
89	89	(a) (1) Beginning January 1, 2025, and on or before January 1 every 3 years, 28
90	90	starting in 2027, the Department shall procure or provide to low–income individuals energy 29
91	91	efficiency and conservation programs and services, demand response programs and 30
92	92	services, and beneficial electrification programs and services that achieve the greenhouse 31
93	93	gas emissions reduction targets established for the Department under paragraph (2) of this 32
94	94	subsection. 33
95	95	SENATE BILL 247 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	(2) For the period 2025–2033, the programs and services required under 1
99	99	paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be on a trajectory to achieve greenhouse gas 2
100	100	reductions after 2027 of at least 0.9% of the baseline determined under subsection (b) of 3
101	101	this section. 4
102	102
103	103	(3) (i) When establishing greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets 5
104	104	under this subsection, the Commission shall measure the greenhouse gas emissions from 6
105	105	electricity using current data and projections from the Department of the Environment. 7
106	106
107	107	(ii) The greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets established 8
108	108	under this subsection shall be measured in metric tons. 9
109	109
110	110	(4) The greenhouse gas reductions achieved to meet the targets established 10
111	111	under paragraph (2) of this subsection shall count toward the achievement of the 11
112	112	greenhouse gas reduction target established under § 7–223(b) of this subtitle. 12
113	113
114	114	(5) The target greenhouse gas savings shall be achieved based on the 13
115	115	3–year average of the Department’s plan submitted in accordance with subsection (d) of 14
116	116	this section. 15
117	117
118	118	(6) For 2025 and 2026: 16
119	119
120	120	(i) the Commission shall, after making appropriate findings, 17
121	121	determine whether the Department’s existing 2024–2026 plan must be modified to comply 18
122	122	with: 19
123	123
124	124	1. the targets established in this subsection; and 20
125	125
126	126	2. § 7–225(d) of this subtitle; and 21
127	127
128	128	(ii) the Department: 22
129	129
130	130	1. shall provide information as required by the Commission 23
131	131	to assist in making the determination in item (i) of this paragraph; and 24
132	132
133	133	2. is only required to file new plans in accordance with 25
134	134	subsection (d) of this section and § 7–225 of this subtitle if directed by the Commission. 26
135	135
136	136	(b) As a baseline for determining greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets 27
137	137	under this section, the Commission shall use the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from 28
138	138	the direct consumption of gas and electricity by low–income residential households in 2016, 29
139	139	as determined by the Department of the Environment. 30
140	140
141	141	(c) [(1) The] WHEN CALCULATING THE ACHIEVEMENT OF GREEN HOUSE 31
142	142	GAS EMISSIONS REDUCTION TARGETS UN DER THIS SECTION , THE Department may 32
143	143	[procure or provide] INCLUDE savings that are achieved through [funding sources that 33
144	144	meet the standards of program funding through utility rates or the U.S. Department of 34 4 SENATE BILL 247
145	145
146	146
147	147	Energy] ALL FUNDING SOURCES , TO THE EXTENT THAT T HE SAVINGS FROM THOS E 1
148	148	FUNDING SOURCES ARE ACHIEVED: 2
149	149
150	150	(1) IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WI TH REQUIREMENTS OF THE U.S. 3
151	151	DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY; OR 4
152	152
153	153	(2) IN A MANNER OTHERWIS E CONSISTENT WITH TH E ENERGY 5
154	154	SAVINGS REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO THOSE FUNDING SOURCES . 6
155	155
156	156	[(2) The Department may use the savings achieved through all funding 7
157	157	sources toward calculating the targeted greenhouse gas reductions if the funding sources 8
158	158	meet the standards of programs funded through: 9
159	159
160	160	(i) a surcharge under § 7–222 of this subtitle; or 10
161	161
162	162	(ii) the U.S. Department of Energy.] 11
163	163
164	164	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 12
165	165	1, 2025. 13
166	166