Harford lawmakers say HB 1 offers minimal bill relief; call for local generation

On Inside Harford County, Delegate Teresa Riley and County Executive Bob Casley discussed state energy policy and legislation dubbed HB 1. Riley said testimony and analyses indicate HB 1 would produce only small monthly savings for residents — she cited a transcript figure of roughly $0.80 to $1.70 per month — and argued the legislature needs to enable faster local power generation.

Why it matters: Rising energy costs affect households and county services. "We buy most of our energy from other states," Casley said, pointing to regional supply issues managed by the PJM interconnection. Riley said her bill would allow utilities and private industry to invest in local generation to increase supply and reliability.

Policy differences: Riley criticized a shift of energy oversight to environmental and transportation committees and said the legislature remains committed to green energy despite concerns about reliability. She described her proposal to permit utility investment in generation as a means to improve capacity more quickly than private developers alone.

What to watch: The program did not provide an official fiscal analysis of HB 1. Officials urged continued monitoring of PJM and regional supply dynamics and said state policy choices will determine the speed of local generation projects.