Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Building Energy Performance Standards topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House adopts amendments to building energy performance standards bill, delays enforcement and schedules further debate
Summary
Lawmakers adopted amendments to a Department of the Environment bill on building energy performance standards, added training, alternative compliance rules and exclusions for hospitals and sensitive compartmented information facilities; the bill was special-ordered to the next legislative day for further consideration.
The Maryland House adopted committee amendments to a bill that updates how the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) sets building energy performance standards for covered buildings and then special-ordered the bill to the appropriate time tomorrow for further consideration.
Floor amendments adopted in committee and on the floor added requirements and clarifications. The amendments require certain exclusions and crediting considerations for the standards, set rates for alternative compliance payments tied to energy use intensity standards, and authorize waivers in specified circumstances. The bill also requires MDE to provide training for energy auditors and to publish a list of auditors who complete the training. One floor amendment delayed certain enforcement actions until February 1, 2032, and specified how alternative compliance payments may be used (deposited into the Strategic Energy Investment Fund).
During floor questions, members asked whether specific building types were exempted. The floor leader confirmed that hospitals are expressly excluded from coverage under the amended language and said the amendment did not add other categorical exclusions beyond hospitals. The chair noted that the amendment created pathways for additional exemptions, including an economic infeasibility waiver that building owners could pursue.
The House adopted the amendment by voice vote. Later the House resolved to special-order the bill to the appropriate time tomorrow to allow additional consideration and potential further amendments.
Why it matters: the bill sets state-level performance expectations for large buildings and establishes compliance pathways, auditor training, and an alternative compliance payment mechanism that directs funds to the Strategic Energy Investment Fund. The exemptions and waiver mechanisms discussed on the floor (hospitals, SCIFs, economic infeasibility) limit how the standards would apply in practice.
What’s next: the bill returns to the House calendar tomorrow for the scheduled special order; committee-reported language and the floor amendments are now part of the bill as printed for third reading.
