On February 26, the Sierra Club and allied groups brought the heat to the legislature to demand funding for heat pumps! Our rally to protect energy efficiency and clean energy funding was a huge success: over 50 people from across the state came out to Annapolis to rally with us and call on the legislature to reject cuts to the Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF), and invest in sensible low-income energy efficiency and clean energy programs.
We heard about the importance of SEIF funding from a range of perspectives: a homeowner struggling with energy bills who wants an energy-efficient heat pump, a renter who wants to replace their polluting gas stove with induction, and a congregation member whose church was denied a solar grant because of a lack of funds. What did these stories have in common? The SEIF can and should fund all of this work!
Maryland Just Power Alliance member Djamila Bah shares her experience as a tenant who wants an induction stove to improve her air quality (February 26, 2026)
After the rally, we packed the Senate Budget and Tax hearing room (we were spilling out into the hallway!) and brought our powerful testimony to the senators themselves, telling them directly that this funding must be protected and used for its intended purpose.
Josh Tulkin, Director of the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club, and a member of Interfaith Power and Light, testify in defense of the SEIF in a Senate Budget and Taxation subcommittee meeting.
Check out this awesome article in Maryland Matters about the rally, with excellent quotes from our speakers. And huge thanks to our incredible collaborators who made this action as powerful as possible: the Maryland Just Power Alliance, Interfaith Power and Light, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
Members of the Sierra Club, Maryland Just Power Alliance, Interfaith Power and Light, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network after the SEIF defense rally.
So…what is this SEIF?
This legislative session, our primary energy-related legislative priority is protecting the Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF). The SEIF is a fund dedicated to advancing Maryland’s clean energy goals, expanding energy efficiency, and providing energy bill assistance to low income ratepayers. For nearly two decades, the SEIF has provided critical funding for a wide range of programs, including community and canopy solar; energy efficiency for homes, businesses and schools; electric school buses; electric vehicle charging, and much more.
Here’s the problem: it’s under threat. Last year, the legislature diverted around $500 million away from the SEIF to cover budget gaps and provide rebates to ratepayers, and this year, the legislature has proposed another $400 million diversion. On February 26, we showed legislators that we would not stand by quietly and let that happen.
The fight is not over! If you haven’t yet, take 30 seconds to send a letter to your legislators to protect this funding, and stay tuned for more actions coming soon!