By Adam Pagnucco.
In a last-second rush during a lame duck session, the county council passed a momentous bill requiring all-electric building standards for most new construction in the county. The bill was passed on a 9-0 vote with much self-congratulation. Because the implementing regulations will take years to develop and approve, the bill introduces substantial uncertainty into most new development projects.
It’s noteworthy that departing Council Member Tom Hucker voted for both the bill and its amendments. He has an outside job with the Natural Resources Defense Council, which advocates for building electrification. Hucker was not the prime mover behind this bill but it is regrettable that he did not recuse himself from these votes.
I will have more thoughts on what this bill will mean for economic development in the county, but for now, here is a list of prior articles on the subject.
This post introduced the issue, questioning the benefit gained from electrification because renewable energy accounts for a single digit percentage of electricity in our grid. At the same time, the bill’s economic impact statement predicted dire consequences for the county’s economy if the legislation was passed.
Pepco Asks County Council to Pause Electrocution Bill
Pepco asked the council to pause work on the bill to allow it to study its effects on the power grid. The council refused and pushed ahead.
Will the Lame Duck County Council Electrocute MoCo?
This post presents evidence from BGE and the National Association of Home Builders that an all-electric mandate would cost billions of dollars to electricity ratepayers and increase the cost of new housing.
BGE Issues Warning on Electrocution Bill
BGE told the council that all-electric buildings would require it to double its substations, poles and wires across its network. Again, the council refused to heed this warning.
Much of the county’s electric grid was disrupted by a small plane crash on Sunday night. MCPS and Montgomery College shut down the next day while roughly 125 traffic lights lost power. The council reacted by adding extra demand to a clearly fragile grid. This was a different approach than the one adopted by the General Assembly, which opted to study effects on the electric grid along with building electrification and other climate change measures.
Additionally, let’s note that this is the same council that prohibited the construction of solar panels throughout the vast majority of the agricultural reserve, limiting the potential of this bill to increase the use of renewable energy.
More to come later.