In 2024 the Maryland General Assembly passed the Electricity and Gas - Retail Supply - Regulation and Consumer Protection Act, better known as SB 1, introduced by Senate President Pro-Tem Malcolm Augustine and Vice-Chair of the House Economic Matters committee Brian Crosby. SB 1 set a national standard for protecting consumers from predatory retail suppliers, some of whom were luring people into contracts with low rates and the promise of clean energy, only to quickly escalate their rates while purchasing very low quality renewable energy credits.

President Pro-Tem Augustine, along with Vice-Chair Crosby, was a leader in identifying this problem, developing a legislative solution, and getting the policy enacted.

Many Marylanders are seeing record high gas bills this year because of a little known Maryland program called STRIDE

In 2013 Maryland lawmakers created the STRIDE program to fix leaks in certain gas pipes. At the time, no one anticipated it would result in utilities building entirely new gas systems and costing Marylander tens of billions of dollars, but that is exactly what has happened

I sat down with Maryland’s People’s Counsel David Lapp to talk about how the STRIDE program got so far out of hand, and what can be done about it.

Every time I hear David Lapp talk about how much we are paying for STRIDE and how ineffective the program is I am floored. The numbers truly boggle the mind.

Maryland needs to generate more electricity in state. As Delegate Lorig Charkoudian explains, the fastest, cheapest way to do that is through the Abundant, Affordable, Clean Energy Act, or AACE Act that she and Senator Brooks are introducing in 2025.

The quickest, most reliable way to get more in state electricity generation may not be what you think it is.

Sources:

Governor Moore's Climate Pollution Reduction Plan

Energy Information Administration Maryland State Profile Data

PSC Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard Report