Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB953 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
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3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0953
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7	7	SENATE BILL 953
8	8	C5 5lr2209
9	9	CF 5lr3038
10	10	By: Senators West, Carozza, Lewis Young, Ready, and Watson
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Construction and Expansion of Transmission Lines and Task Force to Develop a 2
19	19	Realistic Electricity Plan for Maryland 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing the Task Force to Develop a Realistic Electricity Plan for 4
22	22	Maryland to study and make recommendations on the State’s current and future 5
23	23	electricity needs under various scenarios; prohibiting the Public Service Commission 6
24	24	from approving the construction or expansion of transmission lines in the State 7
25	25	during a certain period of time; and generally relating to transmission lines and the 8
26	26	Task Force to Develop a Realistic Electricity Plan for Maryland. 9
27	27
28	28	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 10
29	29	That: 11
30	30
31	31	(a) There is a Task Force to Develop a Realistic Electricity Plan for Maryland. 12
32	32
33	33	(b) The Task Force consists of the following members: 13
34	34
35	35	(1) one member of the Senate of Maryland, appointed by the President of 14
36	36	the Senate; 15
37	37
38	38	(2) one member of the House of Delegates, appointed by the Speaker of the 16
39	39	House; 17
40	40
41	41	(3) the Secretary of Agriculture, or the Secretary’s designee; 18
42	42
43	43	(4) the Secretary of the Environment, or the Secretary’s designee; 19
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45	45	(5) the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration, or the Director’s 20
46	46	designee; 21
47	47	2 SENATE BILL 953
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49	49
50	50	(6) a member of the Public Service Commission, designated by the Chair of 1
51	51	the Public Service Commission; 2
52	52
53	53	(7) the People’s Counsel, or the People’s Counsel’s designee; 3
54	54
55	55	(8) a representative of PJM Interconnection, LLC, designated by PJM 4
56	56	Interconnection, LLC; 5
57	57
58	58	(9) a representative of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, designated by 6
59	59	Baltimore Gas and Electric Company; 7
60	60
61	61	(10) a representative of Constellation Energy Corporation, designated by 8
62	62	Constellation Energy Corporation; 9
63	63
64	64	(11) a representative of Potomac Electric Power Company, designated by 10
65	65	Potomac Electric Power Company; 11
66	66
67	67	(12) a representative of Potomac Edison, designated by Potomac Edison; 12
68	68
69	69	(13) a representative of Delmarva Power, designated by Delmarva Power; 13
70	70
71	71	(14) a representative of Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative , 14
72	72	designated by Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative; 15
73	73
74	74	(15) a representative of an independent electricity generation company, 16
75	75	designated by the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration; 17
76	76
77	77	(16) a representative of the agricultural community, designated by the 18
78	78	Maryland Farm Bureau; 19
79	79
80	80	(17) a representative of the public with expertise in energy, appointed by the 20
81	81	Governor; 21
82	82
83	83	(18) two representatives of environmental nonprofit organizations, one 22
84	84	appointed by the President of the Senate and one appointed by the Speaker of the House; 23
85	85	and 24
86	86
87	87	(19) two representatives of Maryland ratepayers, one appointed by the 25
88	88	President of the Senate and one appointed by the Speaker of the House. 26
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90	90	(c) The members of the Task Force shall elect the chair of the Task Force. 27
91	91
92	92	(d) (1) The Maryland Energy Administration shall provide staff for the Task 28
93	93	Force. 29
94	94
95	95	(2) The Task Force, through the Maryland Energy Administration, may 30
96	96	hire an independent consultant to assist in its work. 31 SENATE BILL 953 3
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100	100	(e) A member of the Task Force: 1
101	101
102	102	(1) may not receive compensation as a member of the Task Force; but 2
103	103
104	104	(2) is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State 3
105	105	Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget. 4
106	106
107	107	(f) The Task Force shall: 5
108	108
109	109	(1) using the State’s energy policies as of July 1, 2025, for each of years 6
110	110	2026, 2030, 2035, and 2040, assemble and study realistic current: 7
111	111
112	112	(i) forecasts for the State’s electricity needs; 8
113	113
114	114	(ii) estimates of the percentage of electricity imported from out of 9
115	115	State; and 10
116	116
117	117	(iii) estimates of the cost of electricity purchased through the capacity 11
118	118	market that would be included in the monthly electric bills of Maryland ratepayers; 12
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120	120	(2) for each of years 2030, 2035, and 2040, assemble and study realistic 13
121	121	current estimates of the cost of electricity purchased through the capacity market that 14
122	122	would be included in the monthly electric bills of Maryland ratepayers if the State imported 15
123	123	no more than 25% of the electricity needed to meet the State’s electricity demand; 16
124	124
125	125	(3) consider policy options and make recommendations for legislation that 17
126	126	would ensure the State purchases, in 2030, 2035, and 2040, no more than 25% of its 18
127	127	electricity from out–of–state sources; and 19
128	128
129	129	(4) consider policy options and make recommendations to ensure the 20
130	130	reliability and adequacy of the electricity available to Maryland ratepayers and businesses 21
131	131	through 2040. 22
132	132
133	133	(g) The policy options considered by the Task Force shall include: 23
134	134
135	135	(1) the expansion of nuclear energy generation in the State; 24
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137	137	(2) the expansion of renewable energy resources in the State; 25
138	138
139	139	(3) the prioritization of energy storage facilities in the State; and 26
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141	141	(4) upgrades and enhancements to transmission systems in the State as 27
142	142	they exist on July 1, 2025. 28
143	143	4 SENATE BILL 953
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145	145
146	146	(h) On or before December 31, 2025, the Task Force shall report its findings and 1
147	147	recommendations to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2 –1257 of the State 2
148	148	Government Article, the General Assembly. 3
149	149
150	150	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That , beginning July 1, 2025, 4
151	151	through May 1, 2026, the Public Service Commission may not issue a certificate of public 5
152	152	convenience and necessity or otherwise approve the construction or expansion of any 6
153	153	transmission lines in the State. 7
154	154
155	155	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 8
156	156	1, 2025. It shall remain effective for a period of 1 year and, at the end of June 30, 2026, this 9
157	157	Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and of no 10
158	158	further force and effect. 11
159	159