Politics & Government

Maryland Keeps No. 9 Ranking Nationally in Energy Efficiency Efforts

Maryland holds steady in a new energy scorecard. A state group says more must be done to improve Maryland's standing.

Maryland held steady at No. 9 in a national ranking of states' energy efficiency efforts, the Baltimore Sun reports, but a separate report also out this week said Maryland must improve to meet its own goals.

The scorecard, released this week from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, is a comprehensive analysis of state efforts to support energy efficiency. [The full scorecard is embedded with this article.]

"The 'State Scorecard' serves as a benchmark for state efforts on energy efficiency policies and programs each year, encouraging them to continue strengthening efficiency commitments as a pragmatic and effective strategy for securing environmental benefits and promoting economic growth," the organization states.

The council praised Maryland for having "a wide variety of policies that encourage energy efficiency," the newspaper said.

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But the council said utility programs will need to beef up if the state wants to meet its own targets for energy savings.

In a separate report, "Stepping Up to Bigger Savings," the Maryland Public Interest Research Group says the state is not on pace to meet a goal of reducing electricity use per capita by 15 percent from 2007 levels, the paper said. The deadline is 2015.

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Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is the farthest from its 2015 target among the state's five largest electric utilities, with 38 percent of the goal achieved through last year, Maryland PIRG said in its report.

The five-year-old EmPOWER Maryland program is saving consumers about $140 million in annual electricity costs, but "we're also losing out because we're not fully implementing the program," Emily Scarr, Maryland PIRG's director, told the Sun.

Scarr told the newspaper Maryland's Public Service Commission focuses on "the low-hanging fruit" — incentives that get the most bang for the buck, such as rebates for people swapping old appliances for more efficient new ones.

Mark Case, BGE's vice president of strategy and regulatory affairs, told the newspaper that the report doesn't account for statewide improvements this year.

Abigail Ross Hopper, director of the Maryland Energy Administration, said the state is on track to exceed one usage goal — a 15 percent reduction in electricity demand on the hottest days of the year — and is making changes to try to meet the per-capita reduction target.

Hopper said Maryland has made significant process since 2007, when it ranked 20th on the state-by-state score card.

The Top Five
  1. Massachusetts
  2. California
  3. New York 
  4. Oregon
  5. Connecticut
"These states continue to comprise the group of truly leading states that have made broad, long-term commitments to developing energy efficiency as a state resource," the ACEEE scorecard says.

The Bottom Five
  • Mississippi
  • Alaska 
  • South Dakota 
  • Wyoming 
  • North Dakota 



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