Bill to expand community choice aggregation beyond Montgomery County draws mixed testimony
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Summary
Delegate Jeffrey Long told the committee HB 14-42 would let all Maryland counties and Baltimore City explore community choice aggregation; supporters called it a local-option tool to lower bills while SMECO and some co-ops opposed expansion and the PSC urged caution pending Montgomery County results.
Delegate Jeffrey Long presented HB 14-42 to the Environment and Transportation Committee, proposing that counties and Baltimore City be allowed to establish community choice aggregation (CCA) programs that combine customer electricity demand and negotiate supply contracts on behalf of residents and small businesses.
"HB 14 42 makes Maryland more affordable," Long said, arguing that Montgomery County's pilot showed $7'$17 monthly residential savings and that voluntary local participation could expand access to renewables and bargaining power.
Supporters included Carrington Anderson of the Maryland Association of Counties, who described the measure as a local option. Opponents included Tom Dennison of SMECO, who urged an unfavorable report on the grounds that electric cooperatives had historically procured power at low cost for membership and that the bill could expand beyond the pilot'intent.
Ben Baker of the Maryland Public Service Commission provided informational testimony explaining implementation details and potential market impacts, including that a CCA'led shift of large load could introduce volatility to the standard-offer service (SOS) product and that the PSC recommended studying Montgomery County's pilot before broad expansion.
Committee discussion focused on PSC concerns about timing and market impacts and on how the bill would treat different utility types. The sponsor said he would work with the PSC and jurisdictions on amendments to address regulatory and implementation issues.
Next steps: staff follow-up with PSC and stakeholders on implementation and possible clarifying amendments.