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Environmental advocates today joined the 50 members of the Marylanders for Data Center Reform coalition to congratulate the General Assembly for passing the Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act, landmark legislation that paves the way toward easing skyrocketing utility bills and reining in the worst impacts of data center development.
The final legislation includes key provisions that advocates had deemed essential, including: a large load registry, the clean capacity demand response rating program, the improved tariff definition of 25 MW of a large load user, and the prioritization of data centers that use clean energy and battery storage.
"We are thrilled by the General Assembly's inclusion of these provisions in the Utility RELIEF Act,” said Angie McCarthy, Maryland Conservation Advocate, Nature Forward and Marylanders for Data Center Reform. “This is a first— but critical— step toward building an accountability regulatory framework to better address the devastating impacts ratepayers and communities experience from unfettered data center development. These new provisions will help safeguard our air and water from the worst of data center environmental impacts. We congratulate the General Assembly on its forward thinking and look forward to continuing to work together to ensure responsible data center development in Maryland."
“We salute Sen. Hester and Del. Charkoudian for their commitment to keeping energy bills affordable for Marylanders. Establishing a new large load registry and voluntary clean capacity program allows data centers to be better grid citizens. We applaud measures that encourage data centers to bring their own clean capacity and utilize load shifting during peak demand. Together, these provisions are a positive step toward reducing costs from data centers through grid efficiency and increased clean capacity on the grid,” said Jamie DeMarco, DeMarco Advocacy, on behalf of Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
“This legislation goes a long way towards encouraging data centers to be ‘good grid citizens,’” said Kim Coble, Executive Director, Maryland League of Conservation Voters. “There is much that remains to be done, and we look forward to working together with the General Assembly to ensure that data center development occurs in a way that protects our environment and doesn’t unnecessarily burden Marylanders.”
"While we are excited by passage of this legislation, there remains an urgent need for data center transparency provisions and local planning,” said Dave Arndt, Maryland Legislative Coalition - Climate Justice Wing. “Which includes public notification about data centers before they become operational, with info such as energy and water usage, location of data centers, on-site backup generation being used, and more. Such measures are imperative if we are to adequately assess the impacts of data centers on our communities climate and the environment.”
Formed in 2025, Marylanders for Data Center Reform is a group of 50 environmental organizations and community groups promoting sustainable, transparent, equitable, and accountable data center development by mounting a coordinated campaign to require the industry to reduce and mitigate its extreme energy use, utilize renewable resources, and limit the construction of new fossil fuel power plants.
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