House advances energy package after prolonged debate over solar siting, agricultural preservation and RGGI

Maryland legislators on March 20 advanced a multi-bill energy package after prolonged debate on how to site utility-scale solar, how to protect preserved farmland, and whether program revenues from the regional greenhouse-gas compact should be returned directly to customers.

What happened: The House considered several related bills in a single package — including a measure to create an expedited certificate-of-public-convenience-and-necessity (CPCN) route for certain generation projects, language on generation and siting called the "Public Utilities Generating Stations / Renewable Energy Certainty Act," and several companion bills addressing resource adequacy, planning and emissions reductions. The floor considered many amendments aimed at: - Restricting or clarifying where utility-scale solar can be sited on priority preservation/agricultural land (a 5% cap per county was a central negotiation point); - Prohibiting use of eminent domain for solar siting and requiring decommissioning bonds; - Requiring Public Service Commission (PSC) decision-making to attempt an "equitable distribution" of projects across counties; - Mandating environmental "dashboards" or EJ screening for projects; and - Suspending or repurposing revenues from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to provide immediate ratepayer relief.

Outcomes: Most of the floor amendments that would have substantially changed siting rules, imposed an outright ban on eminent domain for solar, or suspended RGGI were rejected on roll calls. The floor generally retained the committee pproach: a 5% cap on certain preserved agricultural acreage per county, an expedited process for some generation projects, new installer licensing requirements, minimum decommissioning safeguards and PSC discretion to manage the queue. Several bills in the energy package were ordered printed for third reading after the votes.

Why it mattered: The debate highlighted a clash between efforts to rapidly expand renewable generation and the concerns of rural counties and…