ANNAPOLIS — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday signed legislation to curb electricity costs with a raft of new initiatives including solar subsidies, utility regulations and cuts to efficiency spending — all part of the potential Democratic presidential contender’s intensifying focus on energy issues.
“The Utility Relief Act,” Maryland’s second major energy omnibus in as many years, is a sprawling package that supporters expect to lower an average household’s energy bills by at least $150 per year. Critics, though, warn many of the short-term savings could cost more in the long run — especially cuts to EmPOWER, the state’s efficiency program.
Moore on Tuesday touted a combination of the bill’s other provisions, describing them as a check on corporate power and a boost to renewables at a time when they’re under attack from the Trump administration.
“Under this law, data centers will finally be forced to pay for any grid upgrades that they require,” Moore said Tuesday at a signing ceremony in the State House. “Utility companies will no longer be able to come back later and pile on surprise charges. And this law puts an end to working families paying for utility executive bonuses.”
