Our Insight 2020 blog series will provide you with updates and news regarding the Maryland General Assembly and the 2020 Legislative Session.
In 2016 the Maryland General Assembly passed a law that required energy suppliers to purchase 25% of its energy from renewable sources. In the 2019 legislative session, they expanded that requirement to 50% by the year 2030. The law requires energy suppliers to purchase renewable energy credits from sources defined as renewable energy in Maryland law or the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).
Governor Hogan elected to let the legislation go into law without his signature and according to an article in the Washington Post, he intends to propose legislation during the 2020 session that would require 100% clean energy by 2040. His plan would include increasing the use of zero- and low-carbon clean and renewable energy, and as quoted in the article, Governor Hogan claims his proposed legislation would, “get us to zero carbon emissions, rather than just increasing the quotas for dirty energy and outdated technologies.”
His bill is anticipated to put emphasis on nuclear and hydropower energy, and to push for removal of sources on the RPS that are renewable but not clean. However, the details of the expected proposed legislation are unknown even as the legislative session is already underway.
The General Assembly will debate Governor Hogan’s legislation and those bills introduced by individual legislators on the same or similar topics. With the myriad changes in General Assembly leadership that have taken place since the 2019 session came to a close, it is difficult to project how these bills will develop during the session.
To learn more about the current regulations and incentives, click here.
Follow our blog and our podcast in the coming weeks as we provide a deeper dive on key issues and updates from Annapolis. For more information about how our team can help you achieve your government affairs goals, contact us or visit our web site.
