UPDATE: On June 11, 2025, Maryland Sierra Club sent the General Assembly a veto override request letter. The letter asks Maryland legislators to override vetoes of the following three important bills: (1) HB 128/SB 149, Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act of 2025; (2) HB 270/SB 116, Data Center Impact Analysis and Report; and (3) HB 1037/SB 909, Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act.
Maryland’s 2025 General Assembly session ended at midnight on Monday, April 7. Leading up to and during this year’s session, Sierra Club Maryland Chapter staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to craft and advocate for good environmental legislation and defend against problematic bills.
Our testimony on more than one hundred bills, including all the bills discussed below, is reported on our legislative webpage. Our efforts contributed to some very good bills that passed (and are expected to be signed by the Governor), notable progress made on other matters, and setbacks avoided in other areas. However, the State is at risk of rolling back some environmental advances made in recent years. Your continued engagement will be needed at the implementation stage and in next year’s legislative session to help protect public health and our environment in Maryland.
Please join us for a Legislative Debrief on Monday, April 28, from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. Register here. The Debrief will discuss the bills mentioned below and also begin the planning conversation on next steps in terms of legislation, regulatory and administrative steps, and public awareness and education. We encourage everyone to attend, as this is a natural follow-up to Lobby Night, Action Alerts, and other chances to get involved with the Chapter’s efforts.
Register for Legislative Debrief Here
Below is a quick summary of environmental highlights from this session, followed by a more detailed breakdown further in this email.
Environmental Highlights
✅ Promotion of new battery storage deployment from the Abundant Affordable Clean Energy Act (passed in the Next Generation Energy Act)
✅ Removal of trash incineration from Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) from the Reclaim Renewables Act (passed in the Next Generation Energy Act)
✅ Requirements for gas pipeline spending under the STRIDE program to prioritize safety and be cost effective from the Ratepayer Protection Act (passed in the Next Generation Energy Act)
✅ Improved rate structures for and expanded information on data centers (through HB 900 and HB 270/SB 116, respectively)
✅ Additional funding for the Maryland Department of Transportation to prevent cuts to public transit, bicycle, and pedestrian programs
✅ Creation of a framework for a producer responsibility program for packaging in Maryland through SB 901
✅ State-funded outdoor lighting less harmful to wildlife through HB 542
✅ Election information made more accessible in other languages through HB 983/SB 685
For full bill texts please visit the Maryland General Assembly web page here.
Climate and Clean Energy
Throughout the session, we worked hard to promote affordable clean renewable energy. Alongside our advocacy for one of our priority bills, the Abundant Affordable Clean Energy Act (HB 398/SB 316), we also mobilized to respond to the broader energy legislative conversation. One of the most prominent and challenging bills this session, the Next Generation Energy Act (HB 1035/SB 937), included provisions that could fast-track new gas plants and incentivize new nuclear generation in the state.
Thanks to thousands of phone calls and emails from Sierra Club advocates, and strong efforts by the Chapter and our partners, the final bill that passed looked very different than introduced. The Act was amended to reduce proposed rollbacks of regulatory review for new gas plants in environmental justice communities, and we helped ensure that no additional incentives for new gas generation were added. Additionally, elements of several bills that we supported were added and passed, including provisions to:
- Promote battery storage, which can be deployed quickly, help address peak load demands, and complement the development of clean energy resources like solar and wind power (from the Abundant Affordable Clean Energy Act, HB 398/SB 316)
- Remove trash incineration, a highly polluting form of energy generation, from eligibility for subsidies through Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), as proposed in the Reclaim Renewables Act (HB 220/SB 10)
- Help rein in expensive investments in the gas distribution system in Maryland through important reforms found in the Ratepayer Protection Act (HB 419/SB 998)
- Better protect ratepayers from electric system costs due to data centers and other large electricity users by establishing a separate rate class for these large load customers (HB 900)
Our efforts in these areas will continue as we work to mitigate the problematic aspects of the Act through the regulatory process.
The General Assembly also passed helpful bills to:
- Strengthen electric system planning for Maryland (HB 1037/SB 909)
- Study the environmental, energy, and economic impacts of data center development in Maryland (HB 270/SB 116)
- Reduce unwarranted barriers to solar siting (HB 1036/SB 931)
- Require Maryland utilities to publicly report their votes within the PJM Interconnection system, which governs power transmission matters in Maryland (HB 121/SB 37)
- Quantify the cost impacts of climate change in the state, the first step to establishing a climate superfund in Maryland (HB 128/SB 149)
Transportation
Unfortunately, the Transportation and Climate Alignment Act (HB 84/SB 395), one of our top priorities, stalled in the Senate after passing the House. The bill would require the State to offset pollution from highway expansion projects by investing in public transit, walking, and biking projects. Nevertheless, the bill received important support from the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), and we will continue to build upon our progress this year.
Another major part of our transportation agenda this year was advocating additional funding for MDOT to prevent cuts to the safety and maintenance needs for the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and statewide bike and pedestrian safety programs. We joined a large coalition of organizations in successfully pushing the General Assembly to raise an additional $500 million in funding to prevent major cuts for transportation needs.
The Chapter also worked hard to counter a bill (HB 1556) that would have delayed enforcement for the Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks rules for two years. These programs require vehicle manufacturers to sell more electric cars and trucks and are some of the biggest programs to fight climate change and air pollution.
We succeeded in preventing the bill, which would have set a harmful legislative precedent, from passing either chamber. However, Governor Moore issued an executive order as the session was in its final days that is likely to delay enforcement of the program. The debate will now shift to administrative decisions available to the Department of the Environment (MDE). We expect to be highly engaged in these discussions along with our partners.
The Chapter also provided testimony in support of funding for transit programs (HB 20/SB 198; HB 467/SB 384); smart growth strategies to support transit-oriented development (HB 80/SB 190; HB 330/SB 472); and a bill to change Maryland’s liability laws to promote safe driving and more fairly compensate pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable individuals injured by vehicle collisions (HB 594). While these bills did not advance, we expect to continue our efforts in these areas in 2026.
Zero Waste
The Maryland Bottle Bill (HB 232/SB 346) would reduce beverage container litter and plastic pollution by establishing a beverage container deposit-return system. This priority bill gained significant momentum in 2025 when it was approved by the House Environment and Transportation Committee. Unfortunately, the bill then stalled in the House Economic Matters Committee. Sierra Club and partners in the Maryland Bottle Bill Coalition will be building on the bill’s progress over coming months to drive the bill to final passage in 2026.
The Chapter also worked to strengthen a bill (SB 901) creating the framework for a producer responsibility program for packaging in Maryland. We successfully advocated for amendments that acknowledged that passage of the packaging program would not preclude adoption of a bottle bill, and that the packaging program and bottle bill would work in harmony. SB 901 passed on the last day of Session.
A bill passed to reduce use of single-use plastic bottles by requiring water bottle filling stations in new construction where drinking fountains are required (HB 277/SB 96). A bill that would ban use of single-use plastic containers for collection of yard waste at State buildings and highways (HB 338) was on the Senate floor for final passage, but the clock ran out for approval on the last day of the session.
Natural Places
The General Assembly passed HB 452, which will help make State-funded outdoor lighting less harmful to wildlife. We are hopeful that the bill creates a starting point for additional steps in this area.
A bill to strengthen planning of wildlife crossings (HB 731/SB 635) also was passed. While much of the discussion focused on deer, we are hoping to raise awareness of other important needs, including crossings for amphibians, reptiles, and other vulnerable wildlife.
Finally, a bill that would have facilitated routing of a power transmission line through wild lands in Western Maryland (HB 1270/SB 399) was significantly amended. Prior guardrails were retained, including approval by the Public Service Commission and Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and any withdrawal of lands will need to be offset by a 2:1 increase in wild lands supported by the utility.
Elections and Democracy
The Senate passed SB 2, which would have required special elections to fill certain vacancies in the General Assembly and thereby increase voters’ ability to select their legislators. Unfortunately, the House did not move the bill.
The General Assembly did pass a bill (HB 893/SB 685) that makes election information more accessible to citizens who are not proficient in English and speak another language.
Looking Forward
Looking to the 2026 session, we can already see several valuable initiatives that could use your engagement. These are likely to include our efforts to reduce reliance on gas heating; protect overburdened communities from polluting facilities; improve transit, cycling and pedestrian transportation; enact the bottle bill and reduce waste; protect natural areas and wildlife habitat; reduce use of highly polluting lawn care equipment; and support efforts to improve elections and representative government in our state. Please be on the lookout for chances to join in these efforts.
Finally, we would like to thank all the volunteers and legislators, and especially bill sponsors, who helped advance environmental priorities this session. We also thank officials at MDE, DNR, MDOT, and Office of People’s Counsel who shared their time and expertise with us. In addition to attending our online Legislative Debrief on April 28, please plan to join us in person in several weeks for our annual legislative party for which we will announce a time and location soon.