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Montgomery County holds public hearing on bill to create community choice energy program
Summary
County officials, environmental groups and industry advocates urged passage of Expedited Bill 27-25 to establish a county-run community choice aggregation program, while some commercial groups warned of administrative and cost risks for businesses.
Montgomery County held a public hearing on Sept. 9 on Expedited Bill 27-25, which would establish a county-run community choice aggregation (CCA) program to supply electricity to residents and small businesses while leaving delivery, billing and maintenance with the utility. Supporters said the program would let the county increase the share of renewable electricity offered to customers and use aggregated buying power to control costs.
The bill matters because it implements a state-authorized pilot for local aggregation and is identified in the county's 2021 Climate Action Plan as the "single most important action" to reduce communitywide greenhouse gas emissions. Proponents told the council the program could provide cleaner electricity at competitive prices and allow Montgomery County to tailor programs to local priorities.
Sarah Kogelsmucker, climate change officer for Montgomery County, testified on behalf of County Executive Marc Elrich and said the bill "establishes a county run CCE pursuant to" the Maryland law enabling a pilot. Kogelsmucker said the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) would oversee the program under the draft bill and recommended minor language changes to clarify implementation. "To meet our ambitious climate change goals, we need to green our electricity supply," she said.
Environmental advocates and nonprofit groups urged rapid adoption. Laurie McGilvray of Climate Coalition Montgomery County said CCAs offer ratepayers a choice and that participants can opt out. "So right now, few retail suppliers are offering us cleaner energy supply options," she said, arguing CCA can expand access to renewable products. Mark Posner of the Montgomery County Sierra Club and Jorge Aguilar of Food and Water Watch reiterated that the approach would let the county pursue both emissions reductions and consumer protections.
Industry and technical witnesses described national CCA experience. Cody Hovin, executive director of Lean Energy US, said CCAs serve communities representing about 40 million residents across 10 states and, based on his group's 2023 work, typically provide greater price stability and lower emissions. Julian Gattasica of Carpine Community Energy said retention rates in many CCAs exceed 90 percent and urged the council to move forward.
Not all speakers supported the bill as drafted. Brian Anlu, representing the Apartment and Office Building Association (AOBA), said many commercial customers can already purchase 100% renewable supply and that an opt-out default for small commercial accounts could result in mistaken enrollments when existing contracts expire. He urged the council to consider exempting small commercial accounts or making them opt-in.
Speakers and staff noted legal and regulatory context. Witnesses cited HB 768 (2021), which authorized a CCA pilot in Montgomery County, and Public Service Commission (PSC) regulations implementing community choice aggregation. Several witnesses and Kogelsmucker emphasized that federal policy shifts, regional interconnection backlogs and state regulatory constraints may complicate CCA implementation and will require state and federal advocacy.
The council did not take a vote at the hearing. The record notes a Transportation and Environment Committee work session scheduled for Oct. 6, 2025, and a materials deadline of Sept. 29, 2025, for council consideration. The public hearing was closed and will be followed by additional committee and staff work on technical language and the aggregation plan.
Supporting details provided at the hearing included studies and quantitative estimates cited by witnesses: Lean Energy's materials cited average customer savings ranging from about 2% to 25% in CCA communities and estimated CO2 emissions reductions on the order of roughly 38% compared with traditional utility supply in some implementations. Kogelsmucker referenced the county's 2021 Climate Action Plan as the roadmap that identifies CCA as a top action to cut community emissions.
The council will receive written testimony and staff refinements before any future legislative action. For now, the hearing created a public record of support, technical questions from commercial stakeholders, and specific implementation issues for DEP to address in drafting the county aggregation plan.
