Apr 2, 2008 12:59 pm US/Eastern
Md. Lawmakers Making Progress on Energy Bills
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) ―
Several bills aimed at reducing Maryland's energy use and moving toward renewable energy sources are making halting progress in the legislature -- despite nagging concerns that the measures could hike power bills for consumers already struggling to cope with a sour economy.
The Senate changed course Wednesday and revived a bill that would direct money coming to Maryland through a regional cap-and-trade pollution agreement into alternative energy sources.
That bill appeared defeated a day earlier, with senators sinking the proposal amid complaints that the pollution settlement money -- expected to total $140 million -- should be refunded to consumers who paid it in the first place. After the bill was amended to make clear some of the money would go back to electricity and gas customers, it was revived Wednesday and appeared headed toward final approval by the end of the week.
In the House Wednesday, lawmakers acted on three proposals with similar themes. One closely resembles the Senate pollution credit bill. The other two have already cleared the Senate -- a bill to reduce statewide energy use 15 percent by 2015, and a bill to boost the amount of energy Maryland gets from renewable sources such as wind power or animal waste.
Wednesday's developments bring the legislature closer to adopting a top priority this year for Gov. Martin O'Malley -- an energy package that moves Maryland away from fossil fuels.
"I think it's pretty balanced," Sen. Thomas "Mac" Middleton said after the Senate's action. Middleton, D-Charles, said that by the time the session ends on Monday, the governor will likely get three bills that accomplish his goal of reducing future energy use.
However, the last few days of session could see plenty of wrangling over how exactly those bills would work.
First, lawmakers can't agree how to spend the pollution credits. Some argue that money should be invested in clean energy technology, saying the investment would pay off for consumers in the long run because overall energy costs could go down.
But that side has run into stiff opposition from lawmakers who say the money should be used to lower existing power bills. Critics also fear the bills, which include vague language about seeking clean-energy alternatives, could lead to higher gas and electric bills in the short run.
Republicans have argued it's not the time to spend money researching fuels for the future when consumers already need help paying their bills.
"They're hurting at the gas pumps, and they're hurting at the checkout line, and they're hurting on their energy bills. They're hurting," House Republican Leader Anthony O'Donnell said about power customers.
Addressing those concerns, the House on Wednesday unanimously adopted an amendment clarifying that if Maryland sees pollution payments over $140 million, every extra penny would go to consumers. State energy analysts doubt more money will come, but the provision helped alleviate concerns that the bill could have allowed much more money to be invested in alternative energy, not rate relief.
The House rejected two GOP plans to give power customers greater power to skirt paying for energy-reducing measures. Those amendments were inspired by a flap last year in western Maryland when Allegheny Power charged customers for compact fluorescent light bulbs without telling them about it first.
Both those Republican amendments failed; a separate bill requiring energy suppliers to do a better job disclosing efficiency measures is headed toward approval.
The House must give final approval to all three of those energy measures, and a vote is pending in the Senate, too. Also, lawmakers are still wrangling with a global warming bill that aims to slash carbon emissions, a measure supporters concede could drive up energy bills for consumers if power plants have to make expensive upgrades.
The various bills mean the final days of this session should be packed with negotiations over how to address energy use without laying the tab completely on ratepayers.
"We've got a ways to go," Middleton said, but he predicted agreement can be reached before Monday. "I think the three bills pass pretty easily."
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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