On March 12, Director of Intergovernmental Relations Dominic Butchko submitted a letter of information to the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee on SB 992 – Public Utilities – Large Load Customers – Registration and Demand Response Program.
This bill would establish a framework for requiring large load customers, primarily data centers, to provide certain information to the Public Service Commission (PSC) before interconnecting in Maryland.
While regulation of electric interconnection largely falls outside local authority, MACo highlighted several considerations for policymakers as energy demand from large facilities continues to grow. In particular, counties emphasized the importance of early transparency around water use, electric infrastructure needs, and broader planning impacts.
As Maryland evaluates how to accommodate rapidly expanding data center development, counties encouraged a framework that supports informed decision-making, protects ratepayers, and accounts for local infrastructure capacity.
SB 992 is a meaningful starting point as Maryland continues to evaluate
the role of large-load facilities within the State’s energy and infrastructure landscape. Counties remain focused on ensuring that any statewide framework is practical to implement, protects affordability for our mutual constituents, and accounts for sustainable local capacity.
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