To soften the blow of higher power bills, Maryland is offering more than $65 million in grants and rebates for residents, businesses, and local governments.
Republican lawmakers, though, say the clean-energy aid may provide some savings without fixing the main factors keeping electricity prices elevated.
What happened?
The funding is mainly intended to help eligible Marylanders cut monthly utility costs, with low- to moderate-income households a particular focus, state officials said.
As part of that effort, Gov. Wes Moore's administration announced Wednesday that the Maryland Energy Administration will keep five existing programs in place covering home improvements, rooftop solar, EV chargers, and similar clean energy projects, The Baltimore Sun reported.
Rebates for home EV chargers are expected to reach more than 2,000 residents.
MEA also projects that the Maryland Solar Access program will assist about 1,500 households, saving them roughly $660 a year, while the Residential Energy Equity program is expected to serve around 2,000 households this fiscal year, about 1,800 through energy-efficiency upgrades and 200 through rooftop solar, with estimated yearly savings of about $942.
GOP critics renewed their objections this week, with Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready calling clean energy programs a "Band-Aid."
The announcement arrived about two months after Moore signed the Utility RELIEF Act, which Democrats say will lower residential electric bills by at least $150 annually.
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Why does it matter?
Electricity price spikes can be especially hard to absorb for families already strained by higher housing, grocery, and transportation costs.
Programs that lower energy use or help households generate some of their own power can reduce monthly bills once projects are completed, though officials say the exact timeline will vary.
The programs are aimed at households with less flexibility to absorb rising utility bills.
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Rooftop solar, efficiency improvements, and EV charging support can lower ongoing expenses while reducing pollution tied to fossil-fuel-powered electricity.
Critics argue that while rebates may help some households in the short term, they do not resolve supply and grid challenges that can keep prices elevated across the state.
What's being done?
This year's MEA updates were shaped by "lessons learned and stakeholder feedback," the agency said, and more programs are expected later this fall.
At the same time, the Utility RELIEF Act addresses broader system issues by requiring data centers to pay for grid upgrades tied to their energy use, speeding up new generation projects, and blocking utilities from charging customers for executive bonuses.
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Moore said, "When we invest in clean energy, we are not only cutting utility costs for the communities that need it the most, but protecting the environment in the process," while state Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey argued, "That is not the same as lowering the cost of electricity."
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