Sponsor pushes solar-canopy consideration on new school parking projects with amendments

Delegate Loring Charcuttian (as introduced in the hearing) asked the Appropriations Committee to report favorably on House Bill 61 with amendments that narrow the original proposal. Charcuttian described solar carport canopies as an efficient use of built environments that can produce energy, provide shade, and be paired with electric-vehicle charging. "Canopies are a really important piece to have in that mix," the sponsor said.

Sponsor testimony said the original bill proposed a broader "solar-ready" requirement for parking lots; after concerns about cost and school construction pressures, the sponsor said an amendment narrows the change to add parking-lot solar canopies to Education Code section 5-319 as a technology that must be evaluated during planning for new school construction and require justification if not used. Industry witness Joshua Feldmark of CI Renewables described canopies as the "gold standard" for parking-lot solar but said they are more expensive unless conduit and siting are considered during initial construction. He urged the committee to favor the amended approach.

The Maryland Association of Counties (Ms. Sarah Sample) supported the bill with amendments but asked that any local mandate be limited to cases where state or federal funding is available to cover underground infrastructure, canopy construction and decommissioning; she noted the existing backlog of school construction projects and budget constraints.

Committee members asked technical questions and recorded that sponsors had accepted at least one amendment; the hearing concluded with no vote recorded in the transcript.