Our Platform
Maryland needs an energy future that lowers costs and works for families.
Maryland families are paying too much for energy. Right now, energy companies decide how Maryland gets its energy. But we don't have to choose between reliable energy and lower bills. Local energy solutions like solar, wind, and batteries are cheaper to operate and less vulnerable to global fuel price spikes than coal, oil, and gas. Marylanders deserve energy freedom, which means affordable bills and local control over our energy future. Maryland should prioritize cheaper local energy that keeps money in our communities and lowers bills for families.
Build Cheaper, Healthier, Homegrown Energy
Maryland families are paying too much for energy. Right now, energy companies decide how Maryland gets its energy. But we don't have to choose between reliable energy and lower bills. Local energy solutions like solar, wind, and batteries are cheaper to operate and less vulnerable to global fuel price spikes than coal, oil, and gas. Marylanders deserve energy freedom, which means affordable bills and local control over our energy future. Maryland should prioritize cheaper local energy that keeps money in our communities and lowers bills for families.
Bright Future Maryland supports policies to:
Build more solar, wind, and batteries to provide the lowest-cost reliable energy
Use community power solutions – like rooftop solar, batteries, smart devices, and demand flexibility – before building expensive new power plants and transmission lines that drive up bills
Modernize outdated regulations that block cheaper, cleaner technologies
Support smarter grid planning that prioritizes lower-cost alternatives before utilities spend billions on unnecessary infrastructure
2. Hold Utilities and Data Centers Accountable
Maryland families and small businesses should not be forced to subsidize monopoly utility profits or the rapid expansion of data centers. The truth is: utilities are guaranteed to earn more in profits when they build new infrastructure, even when those projects aren't necessary. At the same time, data centers are expanding without paying for the grid upgrades they require, passing those costs onto everyone else. That means Marylanders are paying for work that has nothing to do with keeping the lights on, and everything to do with subsidizing billion-dollar corporations.
Data centers should pay for their own energy and water use, instead of passing costs onto everyone else. Utilities should stop wasting money on unnecessary infrastructure and focus on lower-cost solutions that reduce bills, improve efficiency, and expand cleaner, more reliable energy for Marylanders.
Bright Future Maryland supports policies to:
Require data centers and large energy users to fully pay for the grid upgrades, transmission, and infrastructure costs they create
Ensure data centers bring their own new clean energy and battery storage, and pay for the infrastructure needed to support their operations
Rein in wasteful utility spending and stop unnecessary and excessive investments in expensive, polluting infrastructure
Reduce utility profits and incentives tied to excessive spending and rising customer bills
Hold utilities and the grid operator accountable for decisions that increase energy costs, rely on expensive fossil fuels, and delay cheaper, cleaner energy resources
Repeal tax breaks and other subsidies for dirty energy data centers
3. Cut Energy Bills with Efficient, Healthy Homes
Efficient homes are affordable, healthy homes. Improving the energy efficiency of our homes through weatherization, efficient heating and cooling, and modern appliances permanently lowers energy bills, improves comfort, reduces pollution and grid strain, and avoids the need for expensive new infrastructure.
Clean electric appliances also means cleaner air inside our homes, protecting children and seniors from harmful pollution. We need practical, lower-cost solutions that safeguard households from rising costs and keep families healthy. Marylanders should be able to heat and cool their homes affordably without being trapped by rising fuel costs or outdated utility systems.
Bright Future Maryland supports policies to:
Ensure every Maryland household can access affordable, modern, efficient heating and cooling systems
Protect and strengthen energy efficiency programs, including the EmPOWER program, that reduce bills and avoid expensive infrastructure spending
Protect customers from excessive and unnecessary costs of new gas infrastructure
Keep electric rates affordable for households transitioning to efficient electric technologies like heat pumps
Align home energy upgrades with smarter grid planning to lower peak demand and reduce overall system costs