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House Environment and Transportation Committee hears briefing on rising utility costs, data centers and storage plans
Summary
PSC, the Office of People's Counsel and DNR told the House Environment and Transportation Committee that a mix of market and infrastructure factors — including recent PJM capacity price spikes and planned data‑center load — are driving higher bills; officials outlined programs and rulemakings to blunt impacts and expand storage and low‑income relief.
Members of the Maryland House Environment and Transportation Committee heard a multi‑agency energy briefing focused on why utility bills are rising and what state agencies are doing to respond.
Ben Baker, chief adviser to the Maryland Public Service Commission, outlined the PSC’s jurisdiction over distribution rates and siting and detailed ongoing work to implement the Next Generation Energy Act, solicitations for energy storage tied to a 3,000‑megawatt state storage goal, and a forthcoming large‑load tariff for hyperscale data centers. The PSC official said the commission is planning rulemakings and solicitations this year and expects awarded storage projects to take roughly 18–24 months from award to deployment.
David Lapp of the Maryland Office of People's Counsel framed the problem for residential customers. Lapp said the office has challenged recent market outcomes and is pursuing litigation and rule‑making remedies: "[A]fter that auction, we did a…
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