Gov. Martin O'Malley's energy administration will release sweeping legislative and policy recommendations today that include new power-conservation laws, an estimated $100 million fund for environment-friendly initiatives and an emphasis on consumer responsibility for electricity consumption.
O'Malley, a Democrat who campaigned on the unfulfilled promise of undoing a 72 percent electricity rate increase for 1.2 million Baltimore Gas & Electric customers, appears likely to pursue an agenda in Annapolis that could further increase consumer costs in the short term. But administration officials say the proposals are needed to ensure long-term sustainability of Maryland's faltering power network and forestall the threat of blackouts as early as 2011.
"It's very likely that a number of the proposals in the energy plan will be included in the governor's package" to the legislature this session, said O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese. He said the governor's energy bills will be introduced this week or next week.
The plan is likely to cheer environmental groups, many of whom felt shunned during the administration of Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. Among the key elements:
Creating a "strategic energy investment fund" paid for by electricity companies that would invest in energy-efficient technologies and promote nonpolluting power alternatives.
Asking lawmakers to pass a bill codifying Maryland's goal of reducing overall electricity consumption by 15 percent by 2015, based on 2007 usage.
Requiring the state's utility companies to buy 20 percent of their power from wind, solar or other renewable sources by 2022 - and doubling the penalties for companies that do not.
In addition to legislation, the O'Malley administration is endorsing the strategy adopted last month by the Public Service Commission, which regulates the power industry, of stronger state intervention in how utilities purchase power.
A recent PSC report said Maryland residents face the prospect of rolling blackouts within three years if nothing is done to address an energy shortage in the state. Maryland now imports about 30 percent of its electricity, endangering the reliability of an aging transmission system.
PSC Chairman Steven B. Larsen said the administration's plans are a "recognition that the state is finally generating action around a serious problem," but he cautioned that Marylanders must moderate their energy consumption if the state is to keep its lights on without damaging the environment.
