ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland conservation groups are warning that proposed legislation to address rising energy prices threaten to weaken state environmental protections, just as the Trump administration aims to dismantle environmental regulations on a national level.

The warning was issued Friday as the federal government, under President Donald Trump, pushes to dismantle Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations and reduce the agency’s budget. 

Now, similar concerns are surfacing at the state level, where efforts are underway to streamline approvals for new power plants and energy projects.

Maryland legislators are considering measures that would fast-track new gas-fired power plants, potentially bypassing environmental reviews and public input processes. One such bill, the Next Generation Energy Act (SB 937 / HB 1035), seeks to remove regulatory hurdles for energy projects, prompting significant pushback from environmental groups.

“This legislation represents one of the most serious threats to Maryland’s environmental progress in years,” said Kim Coble, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters (LCV). “By creating shortcuts around established environmental review processes, the General Assembly is not only undermining our climate goals but setting a dangerous precedent that could be applied to other polluting industries.”

The LCV says allowing more methane-fired power plants would be a step in the wrong direction at a time when Maryland should be transitioning away from fossil fuels. Health leaders and climate scientists warn that such infrastructure could lock the state into decades of increased greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

Another bill under scrutiny, SB 399 / HB 1270, would open Maryland’s designated wildlands to new transmission lines. Opponents argue that this measure would override existing safeguards that have preserved these areas for generations.

“Wildlands are places you can go in Maryland that are always the way they were, that have been that way for hundreds of years, that are preserved for Marylanders for all time to come,” said Joe Gill, Maryland LCV Board Member and former Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources. “What do Marylanders say to the General Assembly that wants to pass bills rolling back decades of environmental protection? Not today.”

A third bill, HB 1556, proposes delaying the implementation of the Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks Programs, which are designed to cut emissions from transportation. Critics argue that suspending these regulations would set back Maryland’s efforts to combat climate change and protect public health.

“This legislation’s two-year suspension of the Advanced Clean Cars and Advanced Clean Trucks regulations is a step backward for both our climate and public health goals,” said Ramón Palencia-Calvo, senior director of Chispa at Maryland LCV.

Despite the push for deregulation, many Maryland lawmakers acknowledge that electricity prices are expected to rise in the coming year as much as 30%.

Republican legislators blame Democrats for rising energy prices thanks to the state’s climate policies. The state currently imports 40% of its energy from out of state generators as aging coal-fired power plants in Maryland are being taken out of service.

The operators of the Brandon Shores power plant in Anne Arundel County have entered into an agreement with grid operator PJM to keep the plant running past its planned closure date to ensure reliability in the face of growing demand from data center development in the region.