Maryland lawmakers say their top priority this year is cutting energy costs. Critics warn their landmark energy legislation could raise them instead.
Backed by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and the leaders of the state House and state Senate, the “Utility RELIEF Act” would combine long-term regulatory changes with short-term cuts to energy efficiency programs funded through utility bills. Supporters say that would shave at least $150 off residents’ average annual energy bills, mostly from the efficiency cuts.
But environmentalists, utilities and some businesses on Wednesday warned that various cost-savings provisions in the bill could undo work that ultimately lowers prices. They used a Senate hearing — likely the only public testimony on the legislation, after House lawmakers fast-tracked it through floor passage earlier this month — to urge major changes, if not outright defeat of the bill.
The back-and-forth in Maryland underscored the national tensions facing Democrats, who hope to ride affordability politics back into power in the midterm elections — even as those same pressures threaten their own climate and energy priorities.
