(WBFF) — Among the energy bills being debated in the General Assembly, two bills, which will be heard by the House Environment and Transportation Committee Tuesday, are aimed to provide some relief to ratepayers.
The bills are proposed by Delegate Brian Chisholm (R-Anne Arundel County) and Delegate Lauren Arikan (R-Harford County). Both are members of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, a coalition of conservative lawmakers.
“Many people are having a hard time paying their utility bill. We have fixed income people, we have low income people. We have people that are dependent upon medical devices, and they’re afraid when they hit the switch, it’s not going to come on, because they can’t afford their utility bill,” Delegate Chisholm said.
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One bill sponsored by Del. Chisholm is the Climate Solutions Affordability Act of 2025. It specifies that certain requirements under the current law are to be carried out to the extent they are “economically practicable.” It would also repeal the Empower Maryland charge, which is a fee residents pay to help fund programs and initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help people electrify their homes.
“The Climate Solutions Now Act bill has so many mandates in there that we’re not even close to being able to meet,” Chisholm said.
“It’s basically a stop gap, it’s a guardrail, it’s a soft landing, so that if we get to a point where this is going to bankrupt a state or or country or a business, then we have to at least take a deeper look and say, okay, we understand we’re not going to be able to make these meet these goals right now. What can we do to back off of it a little bit?,” Chisholm added.
The Senate version of the bill has already been heard in committee, and was sponsored by Senator Jason Gallion (R-Cecil & Harford Counties).
“The Climate Solutions Now Act took it too far one way and we want to bring it back center, to be more business friendly in the state,” Gallion said.
Another bill that is being proposed in the House is the Energy Equality Act of 2025. The bill repeals the State’s low emissions vehicle program, and also also prohibits a local government or State government from restricting the sale, purchase, or use of any “consumer good” solely on the basis of the energy source used to power the consumer good.
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According to the fiscal note, this would include consumer items like gas-powered leaf blowers, which some jurisdictions, like the City of Annapolis, have banned.
While these bills are just two of the many energy-related bills that are being debated, it is unclear if there is enough support for them to pass.
Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have proposed a package of bills they feel will increase the amount of energy generated in-state, and provide relief to residents, while at the same time, still considering the State’s climate goals.
“If we don’t deal with the climate crisis alongside the energy crisis, we will never get to a place that’s sustainable,” Senate President Bill Ferguson said.