Montgomery Could Choose Cleaner Energy Providers Under Bill

ROCKVILLE, MD — A bill that would allow Montgomery County to provide energy alternatives to residents is being considered in the Maryland legislature.

Sponsored by Del. Lorig Charkoudian, D-Montgomery, Community Choice Aggregation gives local governments the power to replace their default provider, negotiate better rates, and choose cleaner energy sources. If municipalities adopt a CCA program, they can offer more options to residents while still getting transmission and distribution services from their current utility provider.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, who testified at an Economic Matters Committee hearing in Annapolis, said the region has a responsibility to quickly move toward cleaner energy.

"We all know we're in a climate emergency. We, at the local level, have an obligation to move to clean, renewable energy as quickly and broadly as possible. This bill gives us an important tool to purchase and generate clean energy for as many residents and businesses as possible. It also has the potential to lower rates for consumers," Elrich said.

Montgomery County, the state's most populous jurisdiction, aims to eliminate Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2035. Elrich described it as an ambitious, yet necessary, goal.

"This is a smart step for communities to participate in the energy marketplace," said Adam Ortiz, director of the county's Department of Environmental Protection. "We can address an urgent environmental issue and be smart with our pocketbooks."

Currently, eight states have authorized local governments to create CCAs. They are: California, Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia.