The Montgomery County Council on Oct. 21 voted to approve expedited Bill 207‑25, establishing a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program to be administered by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), after the Transportation and Environment Committee recommended enactment with clarifying amendments.

Why it matters: A CCA allows a jurisdiction to procure electricity on behalf of participating residential and small commercial customers and can be used to prioritize renewable supply, price stability and local policy objectives. County leaders said the program is an essential tool to reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions and implement the county’s climate plan.

The committee’s presentation noted that the bill requires the CCA to prioritize sustainability, cost, efficiency, stability and predictability and to have capacity to serve residential and small commercial customers. The committee recommended two technical amendments clarifying how the county program interfaces with existing Maryland Public Utilities law and the state regulatory framework.

Council roll call: The amendment and enactment recommendation passed unanimously among members present. The clerk recorded “yes” votes from Councilmembers Lukey, Mink, Sale, Friedson, Glass, Katz, Albornoz, Fani‑Gonzalez, Balcom and Stewart; one member (Joando) was absent from the roll call listed in the transcript.

Department and staff: County staff said DEP will prepare the CCA plan and regulatory filings required by the Maryland Public Service Commission as the next step. The council thanked DEP staff and noted state enabling legislation passed in 2021 that allows jurisdictions to create CCAs.

Next steps: DEP will prepare the plan and filings required by state regulators and return with implementation details and timelines. The council recorded the committee recommendation as passed on Oct. 21.