Environment - Building Energy Performance Standards - Repeal
HB0988 would repeal Maryland’s statewide building energy performance standards law, including the subtitle in the Environment Article that directs the Department to set emissions-reduction targets for large covered buildings. Under current law, those standards require covered commercial, multifamily, and certain state-owned buildings of 35,000 square feet or more to measure and report emissions, comply with energy use intensity targets, and potentially use alternative compliance pathways or pay fees. The bill removes that framework entirely from the Environment Article.
The bill also makes conforming changes to the Housing and Community Development Article. It revises the definition of “covered building” in the State’s grant-and-loan program for energy conservation projects in multifamily residential buildings, while preserving the Administration’s authority to support energy conservation and renewable energy projects in covered buildings that primarily house low- to moderate-income households. The bill is set to take effect October 1, 2026, and includes instructions for technical cross-reference corrections in the Code.
If enacted, HB0988 would eliminate the statewide building energy performance standards program created in 2025, removing statutory authority for the Department of the Environment to establish emissions targets, reporting requirements, compliance fees, and related regulations for covered buildings. It would also end the statutory provisions that allow county programs to be certified in lieu of the statewide program. The Housing and Community Development provisions would remain, but with updated terminology and a revised definition tied to the repealed standards framework.
Based on the bill’s sponsorship and lack of recorded votes or committee testimony in the provided materials, the measure appears to be a repeal bill introduced by a large bipartisan-looking group of delegates, suggesting active legislative interest in reversing the recently enacted building standards. The caption and structure indicate a clear policy shift away from mandatory building emissions regulation. No formal committee record is provided here showing support or opposition, so the overall sentiment can only be characterized as a repeal effort with likely strong interest from opponents of the existing standards and concern from supporters of building decarbonization.
The main point of contention is the repeal of mandatory building energy performance standards, which had required large buildings to reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions and report energy data. Supporters of repeal are likely to argue that the standards impose compliance costs, reporting burdens, and regulatory complexity on building owners, especially where tenants control energy systems or where secure facilities cannot share data. Opponents would likely focus on the loss of a key state climate policy tool, the reduction in emissions accountability, and the potential weakening of incentives for energy efficiency and building decarbonization. The bill’s exemptions and alternative compliance provisions suggest the underlying standards were already designed to address some operational concerns, but HB0988 would remove the program altogether.