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Wind bill clears House panel — again
ANNAPOLIS — A House of Delegates committee has approved Gov. Martin O’Malley’s offshore wind energy legislation for the second year in a row.
The House Economic Matters Committee voted 14-7 Friday to bring this year’s version of the bill, which would make Marylanders buy energy produced by wind turbines off the coast of Ocean City while holding down the cost of that energy, to the full House, where a similar bill easily passed last year.
But offshore wind hit has repeatedly hit a road block in the Senate Finance Committee, where despite the support of committee Chairman Thomas “Mac” Middleton, D-Charles, the legislation has died two years in a row.
The narrative is expected to play out differently this year. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., D-Calvert and Prince George’s, shuffled the Senate panel’s roster in January to ensure the bill would reach the full Senate, where 24 senators are sponsoring the legislation. State House aides say the Senate expects more than those 24 senators to vote for offshore wind — but 24 are all that is needed to pass the legislation.
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce and other business advocates are opposing the bill because it would increase businesses’ electricity bills by 1.5 percent. Republicans in the General Assembly have also criticized the rate increase, which would increase the average household’s energy costs by $1.50 a month in present-day dollars.
