PGCPS committee reviews Annapolis bills, MEA grants and PSC EV pilot docket affecting school climate work

Prince George's County Public Schools’ Climate Change Action Plan ad hoc committee heard a briefing March 5 on bills in Annapolis and a Maryland Public Service Commission regulatory docket that could affect school energy projects, electric school buses and solar installations.

Joseph Chikuda presented the legislative update for the committee, enumerating bills that staff are tracking and in some cases preparing to support. Chikuda said the Renew Act (listed in the presentation as SB149 / HB128) would place a fee on fossil-fuel companies and could direct funds toward school-related programs such as electric school bus funding and heat-pump grants. He also described bills that would require energy-reporting from local education agencies (SB818 / HB66), establish “solar-canopy-ready” parking requirements for new or substantially renovated schools (listed in the report as HP61), and refiled proposals on safe routes to walk to school and school seat belts (SB526 / HB811 and the school seat-belt bills). Chikuda…