House rejects two amendments that would have paused or increased transparency for greenhouse-gas spending in housing bill

The Maryland House of Delegates debated amendments to House Bill 155, a housing and community-development measure that includes provisions tied to greenhouse-gas emissions reductions and related grant programs, but rejected both proposals on the House floor.

The first amendment, offered from the floor, sought a two-year pause on the portions of the Empower program that fund greenhouse-gas emission reduction targets. Proponents framed the change as short-term relief for ratepayers facing rising utility bills; opponents and committee leaders said the Empower and related programs generate systemwide savings and that the amendment would interrupt programs already operating.

Supporters said the pause would provide immediate monthly relief to Maryland households that they said are struggling with higher utility costs. "We're going to pause the portions of the Empower surcharge that relate to…