In the final episode of The Briefing Room energy series, host Dom Butchko turns the conversation to Annapolis and the broader policy choices shaping Maryland’s energy future. Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!
As part of a broader push by federal leaders to encourage coal use, a defunct western Maryland plant is slated for major federal investment. As energy continues to be a central issue for policymakers at all levels of government, strategies for addressing affordability, reliability, and generation needs are diverging significantly between the state and federal levels. Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced a $700 million investment in coal infrastructure nationwide. The largest share, approximately…
Counties could face a major water infrastructure funding cliff later this year if Congress does not renew several key federal funding programs set to expire on September 30. The programs, originally funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, support drinking water systems, wastewater infrastructure, PFAS remediation, lead service line replacement, and other critical projects. The National Association of Counties and a coalition of local government organizations are urging Congress to reauthorize the programs at…
In September 1946, one of the world's most famous minds sought the same mountain views, fresh air, and relaxation that attract visitors to Deep Creek Lake today. Albert Einstein, best known for developing the theory of relativity and the iconic equation E = mc², spent two weeks vacationing at Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County. In search of rest, solitude, and relief from health concerns, the renowned scientist exchanged the spotlight for the beauty of…
County Executive Steuart Pittman this week lifted the sewer capacity moratorium for the Baltimore City Sewer Service Area. The decision allows projects already in the development pipeline and ready to receive sewer allocations from the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works (DPW) to move forward. Three projects currently qualify for allocations. Anne Arundel County imposed the moratorium in March after peak wastewater flows exceeded limits established under agreements governing the shared regional sewer system.…
Pennsylvania’s new data center standards may offer Maryland a useful model for balancing multiple goals. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is adding new guardrails around data center development as states confront the fast-growing demand for AI infrastructure. The state's new standards aim to balance economic development with concerns over energy costs, grid reliability, water use, environmental impacts, workforce needs, and local community input. Developers seeking state support would be expected to show how their projects address…
In Episode 4 of The Briefing Room, we continue our five-part energy series with a closer look at one of the fastest-growing and most controversial issues facing state and local governments: data centers. Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!
We're back with another special edition of the Conduit Street Podcast, with the MACo team taking up several issues from this month's headlines, and trying to sort out which are the real stories (news) and which are more smoke than fire (noise). Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!
In Episode 3 of The Briefing Room, Maryland’s energy picture comes into sharper focus. Host Dom Butchko is joined by Public Service Commission Chair Kumar Barve to unpack one of the biggest questions facing the state: where does our power actually come from? Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!
A new federal report projects data centers are likely to drive high energy demand well into the 2050s. A new federal energy outlook underscores that data centers are becoming a major force in electricity planning. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), server-related energy use could account for as much as one-third of all commercial building electricity consumption by 2050 under a high-demand scenario. That grow is being driven in large part by artificial…