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House Bill 24, titled "Bay Restoration Fund - Authorized Uses - Connection to Existing Municipal Wastewater Facility," proposes changes to the authorized uses of the Bay Restoration Fund in Maryland. Key provisions include:

- Altering the authorized uses of a certain account of the Bay Restoration Fund to include the cost of connecting certain property using an on-site sewage disposal system to an existing municipal wastewater facility under certain circumstances.
- Generally relating to authorized uses of the Bay Restoration Fund.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Altering the alternative compliance fee paid by certain owners of covered buildings to include the energy use attributable to the building's failure to meet certain energy targets.
- Requiring regulations to include an annual reporting fee to cover administrative costs.
- Requiring the Department of the Environment to deposit alternative compliance fees into the Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Fund.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

There is a carve out for munis on p.2, line 13 (we secured that in the 2024 bill as amended and passed out of the House)

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House Bill 121, titled "Electric Companies - Regional Transmission Organizations - Report (Utility Transparency and Accountability Act)," proposes changes to the reporting requirements for electric companies in Maryland. Key provisions include:

- Requiring electric companies to submit an annual report to the Public Service Commission regarding each recorded vote cast by the electric company and any affiliate at a meeting of a regional transmission organization.
- Defining terms such as "affiliate," "meeting," "recorded vote," and "regional transmission organization."
- Exempting municipal electric utilities from these requirements.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

House Bill 128, titled "Responding to Emergency Needs From Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act of 2025," proposes changes to address the impacts of climate change in Maryland. Key provisions include:

- Establishing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Payment Program in the Department of the Environment.
- Securing payments from businesses that extract fossil fuels or refine petroleum products to fund state efforts to adapt to or mitigate the effects of climate change.
- Addressing the health impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations.
- Creating the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Fund as a special, nonlapsing fund.
- Authorizing the Legislative Auditor to conduct audits of the Fund and related appropriations and expenditures.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

House Bill 131, titled "Housing Development Permit Applications - Local Reporting Requirements," proposes changes to the reporting requirements for housing development permit applications in Maryland. Key provisions include:

- Requiring certain local jurisdictions to report specific information about housing development permit applications to the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Department of Planning by February 1 each year.
- Mandating that local jurisdictions make a copy of the report publicly available on their websites.
- Generally relating to housing development permit applications.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2024.

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House Bill 398, titled "Abundant Affordable Clean Energy - Procurement and Development (AACE Act)," proposes changes to the procurement and development of clean energy resources in Maryland. Key provisions include:

- Requiring each electric company in the state to submit plans for the construction or procurement of distribution-connected energy storage devices to the Public Service Commission.
- Creating zero-emission credits by beneficial nuclear facilities.
- Pursuing coordinated approaches to offshore wind energy transmission development.
- Establishing the Utility-Scale SREC-II Program and the Small Solar Facilities Incentive Program for the creation of SREC-II credits.
- Authorizing certain units of state government to issue competitive sealed bids for projects that exceed the amount authorized for small procurements.
- Altering the distribution of sales and use tax revenue attributable to certain data centers.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

House Bill 419, titled "Natural Gas - Strategic Infrastructure Development and Enhancement (Ratepayer Protection Act)," proposes changes to the regulation of natural gas infrastructure in Maryland. Key provisions include:

- Altering the required contents of a plan that a gas company may file with the Public Service Commission for proposed eligible infrastructure replacement projects.
- Including certain descriptions, demonstrations, analyses, and notifications in the plan.
- Altering the required findings of the Commission in considering whether to approve an infrastructure replacement plan.
- Generally relating to natural gas and infrastructure management.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Renaming the "renewable energy portfolio standard" to the "clean energy portfolio standard."
- Altering the definition of "qualified offshore wind project."
- Changing the minimum required percentage of energy that must be derived from clean energy sources in certain years.
- Modifying the contents of and approval criteria for an application for an offshore wind project.
- Establishing a process for the Public Service Commission to review and approve applications for proposed nuclear energy generation projects.
- Requiring the Governor's Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs to provide assistance to potential applicants and minority investors.
- Mandating that approved applicants for nuclear energy generation projects comply with the Minority Business Enterprise Program.
- Renaming the "Maryland Offshore Wind Business Development Fund" to the "Clean Energy Business Development Fund."
- Reinstating and renaming the "Maryland Offshore Wind Business Development Advisory Committee" to the "Clean Energy Business Development Advisory Committee."

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Requiring the Public Service Commission to establish targets for electricity production from renewable energy resources located in the state.
- Setting a goal of achieving 50% of all electricity sold in the state coming from renewable energy resources by 2030, 70% by 2035, and 80% by 2040.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Increasing the number of commissioners from five to seven.
- Establishing residency requirements for each commissioner to ensure representation from different regions of the state.
- Altering the manner in which the Chair of the Commission is appointed.
- Requiring the Commission to submit a slate of nominees to the Governor for the initial appointment of certain commissioners by August 1, 2025.

The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

- Requiring, by January 1, 2026, a county water and sewerage plan to include a plan to minimize inundation risks to existing on-site sewage disposal systems and limit the installation of new on-site sewage disposal systems in climate vulnerable areas.
- Prohibiting the installation of an on-site sewage disposal system in a climate vulnerable area to service a newly constructed building unless certain conditions are met.
- Prohibiting the replacement of an existing on-site sewage disposal system in a climate vulnerable area unless certain conditions are met.
- Expanding the uses of a certain account in the Bay Restoration Fund to include providing financial assistance to certain low-income homeowners for certain costs attributable to installing or replacing the drain field of an on-site sewage disposal system in a climate vulnerable area under certain circumstances.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Prohibiting the Public Service Commission from approving a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a solar energy generating station unless the Commission receives written approval for the construction of the generating station from each county or municipal corporation where the generating station is proposed to be located.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Prohibiting a person constructing a solar energy generating station from exercising a right of condemnation in connection with that construction.
- Generally relating to the construction of solar energy generating stations.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Establishing a distributed generation certificate of public convenience and necessity to authorize the construction and operation of certain distributed solar energy generating systems.
- Requiring the Power Plant Research Program to develop and submit proposed siting and design requirements and licensing conditions to the Public Service Commission by July 1, 2026.
- Prohibiting counties from enacting zoning laws or adopting regulations that restrict or prohibit the construction or operation of certain ground-mounted solar systems and facilities.
- Establishing a Small Solar Siting Workgroup to review, determine, and make recommendations regarding best practices and statewide model policies for certain solar energy generating systems.

The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

HB0900 introduces a requirement for utilities to develop a special rate for data centers with demand over 2.5 MW. I cannot speak for the others, but Hagerstown does not have any data centers on our system and developing a rate for a customer that does not exist creates extra burden against our operating funds that are not in the best interest of our existing rate payers. We do not have the capital to fund a project of this size with uncertain ROI and cannot be held to certain deadlines as we are at the mercy of Potomac Edison to perform load studies on the subtransmission system for any customer over 1MW. It would be best to handle data centers as we would any other high-use customer, on a case-by-case basis with 100% of all costs associated with the project paid/refunded before the service is energized.

Hines:

We would incur the costs to run this through a full cost of service study. These are only typically conducted when we go in for a full-blown rate case. Munis do full rate cases very infrequently to avoid the cost-of-service studies. I don't hate this idea of creating the rate schedule that conform with these requirements, but don't want to spend the money to arbitrarily make one with no need.

Possibly we add this language to the Bill:

Municipal Electric companies shall be obligated to create a conforming data center tariff rate schedule at such time an application with deposit is received for a data center connection over 2.0MW, or at any rate case filing with the Public Service Commission on or after July 1, 2027.

- Establishing a base fee for generators of coal combustion by-products, with the fee not being less than $2.30 per ton of coal combustion by-products generated annually.
- Creating the Statewide Coal Combustion By-Products Coordinating Committee to share information, monitoring results, and remedial actions related to coal combustion by-product sites.
- Requiring the Department of the Environment to adopt regulations to implement federal guidelines and rules regarding coal combustion by-products.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Providing for an adjustment to the State share percentage for a community college or regional community college capital project under certain circumstances.
- Generally relating to the grant program for community college capital projects.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Requiring certain sewage sludge utilization permits issued or renewed by the Department of the Environment to limit the concentration of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to 1 microgram per kilogram, the level established in certain health-based standards, or the level established by the Department under the Act.
- Establishing requirements for the demonstration of compliance with the limits established under the Act.
- Authorizing the Department to establish certain additional limits by regulation.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Requiring the State Department of Assessments and Taxation to use a specific method for determining the value of the operating property of rural broadband service providers.
- Authorizing the Department to use a replacement cost approach only if the value determined is less than the value determined using an income approach.
- Applying the Act to all taxable years beginning after June 30, 2025.

The act is set to take effect on June 1, 2025.

- Adding positive community feedback to the list of records that are not considered personnel records for certain purposes.
- Requiring the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission to develop a process for citizens to submit positive community feedback.
- Mandating each law enforcement agency to adopt the uniform citizen positive community feedback process.
- Requiring law enforcement agencies to maintain a record of positive community feedback that is subject to public inspection.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Applying certain provisions of law related to rate proceedings held by the Public Service Commission to electric cooperatives.
- Determining whether additional revenues are required to allow electric cooperatives to earn the existing fair rate of return authorized in a previous base rate proceeding.
- Generally relating to rate proceedings held by the Public Service Commission.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

3/4 Devon Dodson said there is no impact to munis in this bill when Kurt and I met with him and Feldman.

Purpose: Develop New Nuclear Energy: Pursue agreements with neighboring states and federal agencies. Encourage clean, carbon-free nuclear power development. Procurement Process: Solicitations: Issue competitive solicitations for dispatchable energy generation projects. Set requirements for nuclear and other energy projects. Approval and Financing: Evaluation Criteria: Analyze cost impact on ratepayers and economic, environmental, and health benefits. Consider project feasibility and location. Require community benefit agreements and minority business participation. Implementation: Deadlines: Issue solicitations by October 1, 2025. Report progress by December 1, 2026. Effective Date: July 1, 2025.

3/4 Devon Dodson said there is no impact to munis in this bill when Kurt and I met with him and Feldman.

Purpose: Renewable Energy Certainty: Enhance and support the development of renewable energy generating stations. Streamline the approval process and remove barriers for renewable energy projects. Key Provisions: Public Service Commission Considerations: Factors include stability, reliability, economics, esthetics, historic sites, aviation safety, air quality, water pollution, climate change, and greenhouse gas emissions. Local Jurisdiction Regulations: Prohibits local jurisdictions from adopting laws or regulations that hinder solar energy projects. Requires local governments to expedite review and approval of site development plans. Community Solar Projects: Authorizes local governments to establish community solar energy generating systems with automatic enrollment for residents. Includes requirements for subscription coordinators and customer rights. Residential Rooftop Solar: Establishes technical safety standards and minimum qualifications for installers. Requires a 5-year warranty on installations and components. Effective Date: October 1, 2025.

3/10 Brett reached out to Dominick Butchko at MACo for a copy of their amendments to this bill. He said counties just want to be involved in the process. Munis stance on this is that the PSC request for the information rather than each utility developing their own plan. Also to extend the effective date.

Purpose: Establish the Integrated Resource Planning Office in the Public Service Commission. Develop a Comprehensive Energy Forecast to support Maryland's energy needs and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Key Provisions: Energy Forecast: 25-year projections for electricity load and demand. Scenarios for meeting energy needs and emissions goals. Strategies for energy reliability, emissions reductions, and financial impact. Collaboration: Involve the Maryland Energy Administration, Power Plant Research Program, and other entities. Hire private consultants if necessary. Energy Modeling: Conduct cost-benefit analyses and planning for energy scenarios. Public comment period for modeling results. Reporting: Regular reports to the Governor and General Assembly on forecast status and modeling. Effective Date: July 1, 2025.

• Maryland False Claim Act:

  • Apply to claims involving unemployment insurance.

  • Prohibit false records or statements that result in underpayment of contributions or improper payment of benefits.

  • Deposit civil penalties and damages into the Unemployment Insurance Fund and use penalties for prevailing wage violations to pay restitution to workers.

• Workplace Fraud Laws:

  • General contractors and higher-tiered contractors considered employers of misclassified workers.

  • Prohibit the waiver of workplace fraud laws by private agreement.

  • Establish the Worker Protection Unit within the Office of the Attorney General to enforce worker protection laws.

• Enforcement Mechanisms:

  • Allow the Attorney General to bring actions against employers for underpayment of wages and workplace fraud.

  • Provide mechanisms for the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to investigate and enforce compliance.

  • Impose penalties for failure to properly classify employees and obstruct investigations.

• Collaboration and Information Sharing:

  • Require state agencies to share information on suspected worker misclassification.

  • Cooperate with federal agencies for enforcement.

Effective Date: October 1, 2025.

This bill requires each electric company, other than a municipal electric utility, to submit a report to the Public Service Commission (PSC) by February 1 each year containing information related to recent votes cast at a meeting of a regional transmission organization (RTO). The report must include (1) all recorded votes cast by the electric company, regardless of whether the vote is otherwise disclosed and (2) all votes cast by a State affiliate of the electric company if the electric company itself does not vote on the matter.

last year's carve out we secured is in first draft of the bill this year (p.2)

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Senate Bill 37, titled "Criminal Procedure - Expungement of Records - Waiting Periods (REDEEM Act of 2023)," proposes changes to the expungement process for criminal records in Maryland. Key provisions include:

- Altering the waiting periods applicable to the filing of petitions for expungement of convictions of certain crimes.
- Providing that any unpaid court fees or costs are not a bar to expungement.
- Requiring a court to waive certain court fees and costs when ordering or effecting an expungement.
- Adding malicious destruction of property to the list of misdemeanor convictions that may be expunged.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

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Senate Bill 117, titled "Environment - Bay Restoration Fund - Septic System Upgrade Program," proposes changes to the funding and prioritization of septic system upgrades in Maryland. Key provisions include:

- Authorizing the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to establish performance-based funding levels for best available nitrogen removal technology (BAT) for on-site sewage disposal systems.
- Modifying the prioritization and eligibility for projects that receive funding from the Bay Restoration Fund's Septics Account.
- Exempting certain MDE actions related to BAT technologies from state procurement law.

The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

Senate Bill 149, titled "Responding to Emergency Needs From Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act of 2025," proposes the establishment of the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Payment Program in Maryland. Key provisions include:

- Securing payments from businesses that extract fossil fuels or refine petroleum products to provide revenue for state efforts to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.
- Addressing the health impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations.
- Establishing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Fund as a special, nonlapsing fund.
- Authorizing the Legislative Auditor to conduct audits of the Fund and appropriations made for the program.

The act aims to support various state programs related to climate change, the environment, natural resources, energy, utilities, resiliency, disaster recovery, housing, transportation, economic development, and health.

What are your thoughts on this initiative?

- Altering the alternative compliance fee paid by certain owners of covered buildings to include the energy use attributable to the building's failure to meet certain energy targets.
- Requiring regulations to include an annual reporting fee to cover administrative costs.
- Requiring the Department of the Environment to deposit alternative compliance fees into the Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Fund.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Creating a task force to study the premature retirement of electricity generation facilities.
- Requiring the task force to make recommendations to address challenges and enhance decision-making regarding the premature retirement of electricity generation facilities.
- Including energy reliability solutions that address the imminent reliability gap and balance the need between economic considerations and cleaner energy goals.
- Requiring the task force to report on or before January 1, 2026.

The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

- Altering the conditions under which a lawsuit is a SLAPP suit.
- Establishing certain standards and requirements relating to a motion to dismiss an alleged SLAPP suit.
- Generally relating to SLAPP suits and the protection of individuals' rights to petition and free speech.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Prohibiting the Public Service Commission from approving a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a solar energy generating station unless the Commission receives written approval for the construction of the generating station from each county or municipal corporation where the generating station is proposed to be located.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Excluding certain public safety, emergency, and public utility buildings from the definition of "covered building" for purposes of building energy performance standards.
- Generally relating to building energy performance standards and covered buildings.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Requiring the Public Service Commission to conduct a full costs and benefits analysis of sources of electricity generation in the state.
- Identifying the costs of electricity to ratepayers assuming different generation mixes, including natural gas, nuclear, and offshore wind energy.
- Including additional costs of electricity generation necessary to offset reliability issues and the intermittency of offshore wind energy.
- Using the Levelized Full System Cost of Electricity model to analyze the costs of meeting the state's electricity needs from various energy sources.
- Recommending policy changes to support the development of energy sources with the lowest costs and greatest benefits to ratepayers.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Altering the renewable energy portfolio standard to include nuclear energy generated by certain nuclear energy reactors as a Tier 1 renewable source.
- Establishing a certified nuclear renewable energy credit for use in meeting certain renewable energy portfolio standard requirements.
- Establishing a procurement process for the Public Service Commission to evaluate and approve applications for nuclear energy generation projects.

The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

- Requiring certain sewage sludge utilization permits issued or renewed by the Department of the Environment to limit the concentration of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to 1 microgram per kilogram, the level established in certain health-based standards, or the level established by the Department under the Act.
- Establishing requirements for the demonstration of compliance with the limits established under the Act.
- Authorizing the Department to establish certain additional limits by regulation.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Requiring a law enforcement agency that receives a report of a prohibited person failing a background check to notify certain victims.
- Requiring the Secretary of State Police to notify the Maryland State Police Gun Center of certain information if the Secretary disapproves a firearm application because a prospective purchaser, lessee, or transferee failed a background check.
- Requiring a licensed firearms dealer to notify the Center of certain information if the dealer does not sell, rent, or transfer a regulated firearm because the prospective purchaser, lessee, or transferee failed a background check.
- Altering the screening, tracking, and vetting requirements of the Center to include background check denials for all firearm applicants in the state.
- Requiring the Center to notify certain law enforcement agencies of certain background check denials in a certain manner.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

- Requiring each electric company, gas company, gas and electric company, and water company in the state to submit an audit of utility operations, customer usage, and customer billing to the Public Service Commission by December 31, 2026, and every three years thereafter.
- Including information on customer rate increases or decreases, customer usage patterns, customer billing increases or decreases, and any changes to the company's billing practices and policies in the audit.
- Requiring the Public Service Commission to determine the format of the audit report and publish each audit on its website.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

Purpose:

• Periodic Audits:

  • Require electric, gas, gas and electric, and water companies to submit periodic audits to the Public Service Commission.

Key Provisions:

• Audit Submission:

  • Companies must submit an audit of utility operations, customer usage, and customer billing every three years, starting December 31, 2026.

• Audit Contents:

  • Include information on customer rate increases or decreases, factors leading to rate changes, customer usage patterns, billing changes, and company billing practices.

• Public Access:

  • The Commission must determine the audit report format and publish each audit on its website.

Effective Date: October 1, 2025.

- Requiring the State Department of Assessments and Taxation to use a specific method for determining the value of the operating property of rural broadband service providers.
- Authorizing the Department to use a replacement cost approach only if the value determined is less than the value determined using an income approach.
- Applying the Act to all taxable years beginning after June 30, 2025.

The act is set to take effect on June 1, 2025.

- Requiring insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for medically appropriate and necessary hearing aids for adults.
- Allowing an insured or enrollee to choose a hearing aid and pay the difference in cost if the hearing aid is priced higher than the benefit limit, without financial or contractual penalty to the provider of the hearing aid.
- Setting a benefit limit of $1,400 per hearing aid for each hearing-impaired ear every 36 months.

The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2025.

- Specifying that certain requirements under the Climate Solutions Now Act are to be carried out to the extent economically practicable.
- Addressing requirements concerning achieving certain direct greenhouse gas emissions reductions from buildings, measuring and reporting direct emissions data to the Department of the Environment, achieving greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, achieving zero-emission vehicle goals for the State vehicle fleet and local school buses, adopting a certain construction code, and the payment of a prevailing wage by contractors and subcontractors participating in certain projects undertaken by investor-owned electric companies or gas and electric companies.

The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2025.

• Building Performance Standards:

  • Enhance the Maryland Building Performance Standards to promote energy conservation and fossil fuel reduction.

Key Provisions:

• Fossil Fuel Reduction:

  • New buildings and significant improvements must meet laundry, water, and space heating demands without fossil fuels by October 1, 2025.

  • Allow waivers for specific uses, such as emergency backup power systems, commercial food establishments, and laboratories, with certain conditions.

• Energy Efficiency:

  • Define energy efficiency and electric-ready standards.

  • Establish average energy efficiency requirements for new residential buildings and all buildings.

• Solar-Ready:

  • Require solar-ready standards for new buildings and significant improvements with at least 20,000 square feet of roof space.

  • Allow waivers based on incident solar radiation or shadow studies.

• Local Jurisdiction Authority:

  • Permit local jurisdictions to adopt stricter energy conservation requirements and prohibit fossil fuel use in buildings.

Senate Bill 909, introduced in the Maryland General Assembly on January 28, 2025, aims to enhance the state's energy resource planning by establishing the Integrated Resource Planning Office within the Public Service Commission. Key provisions include: Establishment of the Integrated Resource Planning Office: The bill creates an office headed by a director appointed by the Governor, responsible for developing a comprehensive 25-year energy forecast. Development of a Comprehensive Energy Forecast: The office is tasked with analyzing energy scenarios and policy options to meet Maryland's energy needs and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, ensuring electric distribution system reliability and cost-effectiveness. Energy Modeling and Planning: In collaboration with the Maryland Energy Administration and the Public Service Commission, the office will conduct energy modeling to inform the development of the comprehensive energy forecast. Regulatory Requirements for Electric Companies: The Public Service Commission, in consultation with the office, is required to adopt regulations mandating each electric company to develop an integrated resource plan. If enacted, the bill is scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2025.

"Renewable Energy Certainty Act." The bill aims to streamline the approval and construction processes for renewable energy projects, particularly solar energy generating stations and energy storage devices. Key provisions include: Public Service Commission (PSC) Considerations: The bill alters the factors the PSC must consider before taking final action on a certificate of public convenience and necessity for renewable energy projects. Construction Requirements: It establishes certain requirements for the construction of solar energy generating stations and energy storage devices. Local Jurisdiction Regulations: The bill prohibits local jurisdictions from adopting certain laws or regulations or denying certain site development plans under specific circumstances. Expedited Review: It requires local governments to expedite the review and approval of certain site development plans under certain conditions. Community Solar Energy Systems: The bill authorizes local governments to establish automatic enrollment programs for community solar energy generating systems under certain circumstances. Residential Rooftop Solar Systems: It establishes certain requirements for the sale, lease, and installation of residential rooftop solar energy generating systems. PSC Study: The bill requires the PSC to conduct a study to establish a process by which the Commission may establish certain partnerships. If enacted, the bill is scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2025. This legislation aims to facilitate the development of renewable energy infrastructure in Maryland by streamlining approval processes and encouraging local government participation.

Senate Bill 937, titled "Public Utilities - Electricity Generation Planning - Procurement, Permitting, and Co-Location (Next Generation Energy Act)," focuses on promoting nuclear energy development in Maryland. It mandates the Maryland Energy Administration to collaborate with neighboring states and federal agencies for agreements related to new nuclear energy generation. The bill also prohibits certain electricity suppliers from entering into contracts with commercial or industrial customers under specific circumstances.