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April 12, 2010

Solar energy bill passes

A solar energy bill backed by Gov. Martin O'Malley, Senate Bill 277, has just passed the Senate with an agreement on the House's amendments. It now goes to the governor.

It passed on a 31-15 votes that roughly followed party lines.

The bill provide incentives for energy companies to increase the amount of solar energy in their portfolios. Republicans objected that it would increase utility bills. The amounts were minuscule, but every penny counts in the game of political symbolism.

Posted by Michael Dresser at 12:48 PM | | Comments (2)
        

Comments

Um, Mike? Incentives: no. Penalties for not meeting the solar requirements: yes. It's a good thing the House trimmed it down. The Governor's original version of the bill would have cost Maryland ratepayers over $1 billion over the next 15 years.

Solar power is expensive to install at first, but over time it will pay for itself and decrease utility bills. I think after a certain point, BGE has to pay YOU for utility credits.

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Annie Linskey covers state politics and government for The Baltimore Sun. Previously, as a City Hall reporter, she wrote about the corruption trial of Mayor Sheila Dixon and kept a close eye on city spending. Originally from Connecticut, Annie has also lived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she reported on war crimes tribunals and landmines. She lives in Canton.

John Fritze has covered politics and government at the local, state and federal levels for more than a decade and is now The Baltimore Sun’s Washington correspondent. He previously wrote about Congress for USA TODAY, where he led coverage of the health care overhaul debate and the 2010 election. A native of Albany, N.Y., he currently lives in Montgomery County.

Julie Scharper covers City Hall and Baltimore politics. A native of Baltimore County, she graduated from The Johns Hopkins University in 2001 and spent two years teaching in Honduras before joining The Baltimore Sun. She has followed the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pa., in the year after a schoolhouse massacre, reported on courts and crime in Anne Arundel County, and chronicled the unique personalities and places of Baltimore City and its surrounding counties.
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