House passes bill pushing advanced transmission technologies after hours of debate on energy policy

Annapolis — The Maryland House passed House Bill 829 on third reading and final passage on March 8, 2025, requiring that transmission projects built through the state use advanced transmission or grid-enhancing technologies, a measure supporters said will improve efficiency and reduce the need for future lines.

Supporters told the House the Public Service Commission and federal regulators retain primary jurisdiction over transmission siting but that the state can demand the use of technologies that get more capacity from existing lines. A person speaking from the floor characterized the bill as adding “guardrails” for projects moving through Maryland, saying the technologies “will ensure that we’re getting the most out of the transmission lines that we have so that we can build fewer in the future.”

The bill drew extensive debate centered on energy policy and recent power-plant closures. Opponents said passage of transmission legislation without addressing generation left ratepayers exposed. One delegate who opposed the bill said lawmakers had “closed power plants and driven up electricity prices,” blamed the majority’s policies for plant closures and argued the focus should be reopening or replacing generation rather than building new transmission lines. Another delegate said the need for some lines stemmed from closures of local plants such as Brandon Shores and Wagner and from decisions by market actors.

Supporters acknowledged those broader energy questions but stressed that the measure targets how transmission is implemented when it is proposed and that it is the only transmission-related bill advancing this year. A floor speaker clarified the bill does not direct transmission construction — those planning processes remain under PJM Interconnection and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission jurisdiction — but it requires that projects use grid-enhancing technologies where practicable to reduce future impacts and costs to ratepayers.

House members also debated the local impacts of transmission projects. Delegates from areas with proposed or planned lines described large corridors through farmland, parks and residential areas and said the bill would provide at least some constraints on how future projects are designed.

The House recorded 107 votes in the affirmative on final passage; the clerk declared House Bill 829 passed after the roll call.