On March 25, Director of Intergovernmental Relations Dominic Butchko testified before the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee in support of HB 1532 – Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act with amendments.
The Utility RELIEF Act continues the momentum of the 2025 and 2026 “Sessions of Energy” by directing wide-ranging changes to Maryland’s energy policy. The bill modifies utility rate structures and cost recovery, adjusts requirements for large energy users and multiyear rate plans, enhances consumer transparency and data center oversight, and directs a State study on how to streamline energy zoning and permitting processes.
While much of the bill operates at a State level, its implications reach directly into the core responsibilities of county governments: land use, zoning, and community planning. Among other things, this bill mandates that counties adopt certain software for the review and approval of rooftop solar permit applications and directs the Power Plant Research Program to produce a study on streamlining energy zoning and permitting.
While counties share the urgency of accelerating solar deployment, they emphasize that implementation must not come at the expense of safety or administrative feasibility. A key point of contention lies in the bill’s mandate for automated solar permitting software and remote inspections under tight timelines. Counties warn that these requirements could undermine critical safeguards, including thorough code compliance checks, firefighter access considerations, and historic preservation protections.
For over a decade, Maryland courts and the General Assembly
have made clear that counties are largely preempted on many energy-related matters, particularly utility-scale generation siting. However, that preemption is not absolute, and counties remain the primary level of government responsible for land use and zoning at the community level. MACo requests an amendment to clarify that recommendations on a state-level zoning or permitting structure be developed in consultation with county planning and permitting officials, so the recommendations reflect local comprehensive plans, county infrastructure capacity, and community impacts.
As Maryland continues to navigate its evolving energy landscape, counties remain committed to being productive stakeholders and look forward to deepening their partnership with the State to meet this moment while continuing to underscore that durable solutions must reflect both statewide priorities and community-level realities.
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