PFT's Brad Viator Testifies in Support of HB 1561

Maryland’s electricity demand is rising and the grid is struggling to keep up.

Today, Power for Tomorrow President Brad Viator testified before the Maryland House Environment and Transportation Committee in support of HB 1561, the Affordable Energy Act.

The challenge is clear:

• Electricity demand is surging due to data centers, EVs, and electrification
• PJM’s most recent capacity auction hit record prices
• And the grid still fell 6.6 gigawatts short of reliability needs, roughly equal to Maryland’s entire residential demand

HB 1561 offers a practical solution by allowing regulated utilities to build and own clean and renewable generation, strengthening reliability while helping protect customers from rising electricity costs.

States like Virginia, which also participate in PJM but allow utility-owned generation, have shown this model can work. Maintaining strong reliability while keeping electricity prices significantly lower.

Power for Tomorrow supports HB 1561 as a pragmatic step to ensure Maryland can meet growing energy demand while protecting consumers.

Read Viator’s full testimony here.

Watch a clip of the testimony here.