Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley released his 2010 Energy Agenda focused on increasing renewable energy production and tax credits for Maryland families and workforce.
Key legislation includes an acceleration of the State’s solar Renewable Portfolio Standard to put more clean energy on the grid faster, as well as off-shore wind legislation to create an effective regulatory framework for off-shore wind energy development. Additional proposed legislation calls for extending renewable energy tax credits for businesses interested in going green, as well as tax credits for families to purchase plug-in electric vehicles as they become commercially available later over the coming year.
“Energy touches every aspect of our lives from the cost of heating our homes to sustaining our resources for future generations,” said Governor O’Malley. “In these last three years, we have made the choices that have transformed Maryland into one of the leading clean energy states in the nation. Each element of our energy agenda is structured to provide resources and incentives for our families and workforce, create renewable energy jobs, and fuel innovation as we continue to strive for a Maryland that is truly Smart, Green and Growing.”
Some of the measures proposed in separate bills include:
- Create a credit against the State vehicle excise tax for the purchase of plug-in electric vehicles. The tax credit would be for 3 years and would be capped at $2,000 per vehicle.
- Accelerate the Solar Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements in the early years (2011–2017). It will make the phase-in of the Solar RPS more evenly distributed over the next decade and put the State’s solar goals more in line with New Jersey and Delaware.
- Reauthorize Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit that is set to expire at the end of 2010.
- Offer Marylanders a state income tax credit limited to $2.5 million to any eligible taxpayer for electricity generated by qualified resources of 0.85 cents per kilo-watt hour, and 0.50 cents per kilo-watt hour for electricity generated from co-firing a qualified resource with coal.
- Create a regulatory framework for offshore wind energy development. The proposal makes the necessary statutory changes in advance of formal offshore wind energy proposals and applications. The legislation clarifies the Public Service Commission’s jurisdiction over transmission lines from offshore wind facilities and allows the construction of a submerged or buried renewable energy transmission line in the beach erosion control district under certain conditions.
Pennsylvania Solar Projects
Eight large-scale solar projects in Pennsylvania that will create jobs while generating clean energy will receive a substantial boost from $9.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced this week.
The projects will total more than 10 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity.
There are now 65 MW of new solar projects under development in Pennsylvania, the Governor said.
The Governor also renewed his call for the General Assembly to strengthen the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act in order to keep Pennsylvania competitive with other states and nations vying for clean energy projects.
"Our nearly six-year-old standards have been surpassed by other states, which puts Pennsylvania at risk of losing out on multi-million-dollar, job-creating clean energy projects," the Governor explained. "Additionally, if we fail to aggressively expand our nation’s renewable energy industry, we could fall behind nations like China and India that are pursuing solar, wind and other renewable energy projects."
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