Maryland Grid Can Easily Accommodate Electrification of Building and Transportation Sectors, State Study Concludes

Prominent Climate Groups Praise Study Findings, Optimistic About Electrification

Baltimore, MD — A report commissioned by the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) shows that Maryland’s grid is equipped to accommodate high electrification of vehicles and buildings, especially if coupled with achievable gains in energy efficiency and load flexibility.

“The results from this study deliver good news to Marylanders,” said Chris Stix, a volunteer with Sierra Club who participated in the study. “We can achieve Maryland’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% without overloading the electric grid by widely deploying heat pumps. For space and hot water heating, the use of heat pumps is much more efficient than existing electric and fossil fuel appliances. As a result, they contribute only modestly to peak electric loads.”

The study shows that electrification of buildings and vehicles will result in very limited additional load growth relative to what the utilities are already planning in their own growth forecasts over the next ten years. In the high electrification scenario that assumes best-in-class technology (such as highly efficient cold-climate heat pumps), the Maryland system would see 1.1% annual load growth. This load growth could be even further reduced to 0.3% with ambitious but achievable energy efficiency and load flexibility measures.

“All Marylanders deserve a healthy and safe place to live. This study shows that not only can we upgrade homes across the state with clean, highly efficient equipment that will slash pollution and improve public health, but we already have the grid capacity to make those updates,” said Ruth Ann Norton, President & CEO of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative. “Our state leaders in the General Assembly and Governor Moore must now pursue policies that will equitably deliver healthy, pollution-free homes.”

The expected load growth is comparable to or less than the Maryland system has seen year-by-year over the past 40 years. Historically, the system experienced significant load growth in the 1980s of 4.9% per year and more moderate growth of 1.2-1.5% from 1990-2010. Load declined between 2010-2020.

One reason for the limited impact of electrification is that there is existing headroom available on the grid to handle winter and summer peaks in demand. Heat pumps are also far more efficient than fossil-fuel-powered equipment. They provide both heating and cooling and are two to four times more efficient than gas furnaces and use 29% less electricity than the best-performing central air conditioning units.

In 2022, as part of the Climate Solutions Now Act, the Maryland General Assembly considered whether to require electric heating and cooling equipment in all newly constructed buildings in the state. Concerned about the impacts that new construction would have on the grid, legislators directed the PSC to create the Electrification Study Working Group (ESWG) to study the issue.

“This study completely puts to rest the question of whether the grid can handle electrification of new construction,” said Anne Havemann, Deputy Director and General Counsel for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, who also participated in the ESWG.

The PSC commissioned the Brattle Group to model five scenarios, two of which meet the state’s goal of 60% GHG reduction from 2006 levels by 2031. The first, 3A, employs a high level of cold-climate heat pumps, with 90% of space heating sales in buildings being heat pumps by 2030.  The second, 3B, employs a high level of conventional heat pumps by 2030. Water heater sales are assumed to be 90% heat pumps by 2027. For electric vehicles, all scenarios achieve Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) and Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulations.

The assumptions used in Brattle’s study were carefully considered by the Electrification Study Work Group and all stakeholders, including the utilities, had the extensive ability to comment on them. As a starting point, Brattle used each electric utility’s 10-year plan. The starting level of heat pump deployment is based on a 2022 survey commissioned by the PSC.

“Maryland is on the cusp of an exciting transition to a 21st-century energy future,” Havemann added. “To manage this transition equitably and responsibly, Maryland must commit to policies such as zero-emissions equipment standards that can accelerate the adoption of highly efficient technologies such as heat pumps and modernizing its grid to ensure all residents reap the health and economic benefits of pollution-free homes. Targeted incentives and new regulations that prioritize equity must be implemented now to achieve the transition to a highly electrified future in a way that doesn’t leave Marylanders behind. This future is achievable and manageable and we encourage the state to commit now.”

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Governor Moore Calls for Spending $1 Billion a Year to Fight Climate Change

Take Action: Tell Governor Moore to make a strong climate action plan!

Leading regional climate group praises Moore Administration’s unprecedented comprehensive plan to meet the state’s ambitious climate pollution reduction mandate of 60% by 2031, calls on him to lay out how to raise the funds


Baltimore, MD — Maryland Governor Wes Moore recently released the state’s final plan for reducing heat trapping pollution in line with state law. The plan includes specific recommendations for every sector of the economy which, if fully implemented, would reduce climate pollution 60% by 2031 and keep the state on track to eliminate net emissions by 2045.

“Governor Moore has done what no Maryland Governor has done before: put forward a plan to invest $1 billion a year in the clean energy economy to eliminate our net climate pollution,” said Jamie DeMarco, Maryland Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Fully implementing the investments and standards recommended in this report will lower energy bills, create good jobs, improve health outcomes, and achieve our pollution reduction mandates.” 

Governor Moore proposes funding the new investment through a combination of green revenue bonds, a cap and invest program, a carbon fee, a hazardous substances fee, a clean air toll, and a pollution fee on fuel burning-vehicles. These investments will pay for themselves many times over. The report says that, if fully implemented, this plan “will generate up to $1.2 billion in public health benefits, $2.5 billion in increased personal income, and a net gain of 27,400 jobs between now and 2031 as compared with current policies. Average households will save up to $4,000 annually on energy costs. Air quality and public health outcomes will improve for everyone, especially people living in historically underserved and overburdened communities.”

While the plan lays out potential options for raising the necessary revenue, it falls short of fully embracing a specific plan to generate the needed $1 billion. “It is Governor Moore’s responsibility to lead on the question of revenue raising, and not punt the hard choices to the legislature,” DeMarco added. “We also expect that the Governor will incorporate equity into every part of the state’s decarbonization process.” 

In addition to calling for necessary investments, the plan also lays out the standards and policies needed. It calls for a Zero-Emission Heating Equipment Standard, a 20% reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled, eliminating trash incineration from the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, 100% clean energy by 2035, and more. Each of these policies represents a tremendous victory for Maryland’s climate and communities. Taken together, they form the first ever comprehensive plan that, if fully funded, will reduce climate pollution at the necessary speed. 

Previously: Over 40 Maryland Groups Tell Governor Moore to “Get it Done by ‘31” for the Climate

Take Action: Tell Governor Moore to make a strong climate action plan!

 

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with climate change  in the Chesapeake Bay region. For 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

VA State Corporation Commission Hearing Examiner Calls for Rejection of Dominion’s Energy Plan

Report corroborates what activists and residents have been saying all along… Dominion does not need to build new fossil-fuel plants to meet demand.

RICHMOND, VA —On December 8, the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) Hearing Examiner recommended the state agency reject Dominion Energy’s energy plan known as the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). Senior Hearing Examiner A. Ann Berkebile stated that she does “not recommend the Commission find the 2023 IRP to be reasonable and in the public interest.”

Victoria Higgins, Virginia director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, stated: 

“The Hearing Examiner’s report corroborates what the environmental community and residents around the proposed methane gas plant in Chesterfield have been saying all along: there is no evidence to suggest that Dominion must build new fossil fuel plants to meet demand. 

“On top of that, the report underscores how Dominion has utterly failed to plan for an energy future that ensures environmental justice for all. 

“Finally, the report also notes that it is incumbent upon Dominion to account for the extraordinary health and economic costs we bear as a Virginia community when the company continues to build and use polluting infrastructure. It is self-evidently unreasonable and against the public interest to double down on fossil fuels with just six years left to cut U.S. emissions in half.” 

The news comes shortly after CCAN’s advocacy arm, the CCAN Action Fund, commissioned a report from Gabel Associates finding that Dominion’s proposed plan to build new fossil fuel plants imposes enormous economic and social risks on Virginians, and that Dominion can meet electricity demand with clean energy instead. Read the report here.

It also comes amid months of opposition to Dominion’s proposal to build a massive new methane gas plant in Chesterfield, which is in line with the utility’s fossil fuel-friendly plan and Governor Glenn Youngkin’s 2022 Energy Plan. The proposal is not in line, however, with Virginia’s state law to phase out fossil fuels per the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

Contact: 
Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director, vhiggins@chesapeakeclimate.org, 201-937-7017
KC Chartrand, Communications Director, kc@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-620-7144

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with climate change  in the Chesapeake Bay region. For 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

President Biden Further Slashes Offshore Wind Lease Areas in Central Atlantic 

CCAN responds: Final offshore wind maps are insufficient for regional offshore wind goals

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Biden Administration announced that it is slashing a major portion of the areas in the Central Atlantic that may be leased for offshore wind development. This decision will undercut the ability of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina to achieve their renewable energy goals and set back progress towards America’s clean energy transformation.  

To achieve their combined offshore wind goals, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina must build 11 gigawatts of offshore wind in new lease areas. In July 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) put out a map of three proposed new lease areas — areas A-2, B-1, and C-1 — that would have collectively allowed between 4 and 8 gigawatts of offshore wind to be built. 

Maryland supporters of offshore wind urged President Biden to expand this map to allow the Central Atlantic states to hit their offshore wind goals. Rather than expand the areas being leased, today BOEM announced that they would be cutting lease area B-1 entirely. 

“The Biden Administration had the opportunity to provide all the lease area needed to allow Maryland to achieve our goal of building 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind, but they opted not to,” said Jamie DeMarco, Maryland Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “No one fought harder for Maryland in this process than Senator Chris Van Hollen and Governor Wes Moore. Their efforts helped secure commitments for future offshore wind lease sales, and we are very grateful for their work.”

While all the area outlined in black on the map above was originally identified as potential offshore wind locations, only area C and a portion of area A will be granted for offshore wind use. 

CCAN is committed to ensuring the existing lease areas in the Central Atlantic are filled to capacity as quickly as possible through implementation of the Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2019 and the Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources (POWER) Act of 2023. 

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Contact: 
Jamie DeMarco, Maryland Director, jamie@chesapeakeclimate.org, 201-937-7017
KC Chartrand, Communications Director, kc@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-620-7144

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with climate change in the Chesapeake Bay region. For over 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and beyond.

Virginia Marine Resources Commission Approves Water Permit for Pipeline Project Despite 100% Public Opposition

VMRC allowed little time and made little effort to solicit public comments – and then ignored the 174 public comments opposing the project.

RICHMOND, VA. Yesterday, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) approved a wetlands permit for the Virginia Reliability Project, which would dig up 49 miles of a 12-inch diameter pipeline running from Hampton Roads to Central Virginia and replace it with a 24-inch pipeline. The project would quadruple the pipeline’s capacity to channel dangerous, planet-warming methane gas. Within one mile of the pipeline’s route, more than half the population are communities of color and nearly half the population live below the poverty line.

VMRC allowed for just 15 days of public comment, starting the Monday of Thanksgiving week, and did not publicize the opportunity in the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall Public Notices. Nevertheless, 174 comments were filed to oppose the project, constituting 100% of all public comments received. VMRC issued a decision on the permit on the day that the comment period closed, so it is unclear whether commissioners reviewed the comments. 

Statement from Charles Brown, Hampton Roads Organizer for Chesapeake Climate Action Network:

“It is beyond absurd that VMRC did less than the bare minimum to notify the public about the opportunity to submit comments – and then did not take into account the fact that 100% of comments were in opposition to the project. What is the point of public comment periods if the public is neither engaged nor listened to?

CCAN has spoken with thousands of people along the route of the proposed pipeline project. Residents of the directly impacted community have been clear that they are fearful of the impact this will have on their health and wellness, or have not been engaged with whatsoever by TC Energy and Columbia Gas. These frontline community members are not being heard.” 

Thirteen public schools and one hospital are within 1.5 miles or less of the route, including Hillpoint Elementary in Suffolk, just 300 feet from the pipeline’s path — and well within its “blast zone.” The project would also cut through 4.2 miles of the Great Dismal Swamp, a key protected habitat home to some of the most important wildlife in the mid-Atlantic region.

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with climate change  in the Chesapeake Bay region. For 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Over 40 Maryland Groups Tell Governor Moore to “Get it Done by ‘31” for the Climate

Governor Moore with Maryland Flag
Take Action: Tell Governor Moore to make a strong climate action plan!

As Governor Moore finalizes the state plan to reduce climate pollution 60% by 2031, a broad array of organizations declare that “Commitments, promises, and unfunded recommendations, regardless of how bold they are, will simply not be enough”

Annapolis, MD — Before the end of December, the Moore Administration must put forward a comprehensive plan to meet Maryland’s climate goals. As the details of that plan are being finalized, more than 40 Maryland grassroots and business leaders signed a letter to the Governor urging him to include concrete investments with guaranteed funding mechanisms to reduce pollution at the speed required by law. 

The letter emphasizes the need to dedicate additional resources toward successfully cutting Maryland’s climate pollution 60% by 2031. “We will not meet our climate goals without investing more to reduce emissions,” said Jamie DeMarco, Maryland Director at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, “Maryland’s climate plan cannot be silent on revenue, that’s what this letter is communicating.” 

Governor Moore has shown tremendous leadership on climate issues, the letter makes clear. Already, under his leadership, Maryland has made historic investments in offshore wind, sped up the transition to electric vehicles, made community solar a permanent program, installed leaders committed to climate action in the state agencies and at the PSC, and much more. These actions have brought the promise of new union jobs to our state, eased the burden of air pollution, and helped low and moderate income Marylanders benefit from solar power. The state’s final climate plan should match the ambition of what Governor Moore has accomplished during his first year in office. 

But the new plan needs real funding. The letter to Moore says, “Maryland needs the plan and resources to meet our goal. We are asking you to issue a strong climate plan and to commit to a funding mechanism that provides significant resources in order to “get it done by ‘31.”” 

Signatories include:
Advance Maryland; Annapolis Green; Audubon Mid-Atlantic; Baltimore 350; CASA; Cedar Lane Environmental Justice Ministry; Center for Progressive Reform; Chesapeake Climate Action Network; Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility; Chesapeake Solar and Storage Association (CHESSA); Climate Communications Coalition; Climate Law & Policy Project; Climate Reality Greater Maryland; Earthjustice; Elders Climate Action Maryland; Elders for Climate Action; Environment Maryland; Friends of Sligo Creek; Green Sanctuary, Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring; GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic; Howard County Climate Action; Indivisible HoCoMD; Institute for Market Transformation; Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake; Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA); Maryland League of Conservation Voters; Maryland Legislative Coalition; Maryland Legislative Coalition; Climate Justice Wing; Maryland Ornithological Society; Maryland PIRG; Mizrahi Family Charitable Fund; Mobilize Frederick; Oceantic Network; Policy Foundation of Maryland; Rebuild Maryland Coalition; Safe Skies Maryland; Sierra Club Maryland Chapter; The Nature Conservancy, Maryland/DC Chapter; Towson Therapy Group; Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland; Waterkeepers Chesapeake.

Take Action: Tell Governor Moore to make a strong climate action plan!

 

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), the oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with climate change in the Chesapeake Bay region. For over 20 years, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and beyond.