It was hot and humid in mid-August of 2025. Typical Maryland weather for the time of year. Pool water felt like bathwater. Relief from the heat came from retreating indoors, as is often the case in August.
Then came notification from Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE). Due to an unexplained connection breach from the grid, rolling energy conservation was possible. A widespread intentional outage was being considered. This was not the first time our area had heard of potential grid conservation, but it hit a little different with the words “widespread” and an unknown period of time.
Thankfully, the connection to the grid was repaired and our cooling stations and indoor cool air retreats in homes and businesses were not compromised. Daily routines continued without concern over losing electricity. But what solutions exist to combat this growing trend of potential rolling brownouts during peak use times?
The power grid strain and cost of energy in our state have been at the forefront of legislation discussion and cost-of-living considerations in recent years. State energy policy has had an incredible impact on the cost to you and your family. The county council does not have purview over the majority of energy policy. The state legislature controls the number of providers, the kind of energy available, clean energy requirements, where energy comes from, etc.
State law does give local legislatures the authority to permit alternative types of energy storage through local land use laws and the permitting process. With ongoing energy concerns, I was all ears when a company interested in locating in our county contacted me and offered me an opportunity to learn about battery energy storage systems (BESS).
BESS are large battery facilities that store unused energy during periods of low demand and offer that stored energy back to the grid during periods of high demand, helping to reduce the potential of rolling brownouts. Anne Arundel County law had no language to guide where this type of energy storage could be located.
Termed “front of the meter” storage because they are located on the utility provider side, these battery storage systems are larger scale than the “behind the meter” energy storage systems that are on the customer side, and options for private property owners in a lower-scale private market.
Without local code guidance, this technology was impossible in our county. That was the case, until the unanimous passing of my bill, Bill 9-26, which sets permit requirements and allows battery energy storage systems to locate under certain conditions or through approval by the administrative hearing officer in a limited number of zoning categories in our county, including commercial and industrial zones.
By nature, BESS locations create little to no traffic but provide a huge benefit to the county as a whole. They will be required to have landscaping screening and will have to meet strict National Fire Protection Association standards, while creating revenue for our county and making our local grid more reliable during high demand periods.
I am proud to say that Bill 9-26 was one of the first local bills in the state to pass and I am so excited to see the energy support potential it will provide and how the technology will evolve to better serve our county. I hope it sets the framework for other counties to take similar steps.
County Budget
It is that time of year again! The Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget season is underway, with the introduction of County Executive Steuart Pittman’s eighth and final budget on May 1. The council will deliberate over the proposed tax rates and county expenditures before voting on the budget in mid-June. Please stay engaged in this process. These are your hard-earned tax dollars at work, and I would love to hear your thoughts.
If you are interested in testifying on the proposed FY27 budget, there are two public hearings.
- Wednesday, May 13, at 7:00pm in the council chambers, located at 44 Calvert Street in Annapolis
- Tuesday, May 19, at 7:00pm at Severn Run High School, located at 8065 New Cut Road in Severn
Electronic testimony is always welcome by visiting the county council website.
It is important to note that the county council can only propose cuts to the county executive’s budget and has no line-item veto authority. The balance of cuts made by the council is then repurposed through the supplemental budget. It is in that supplemental budget where the council works to find common ground and priorities to address areas within departments not funded in the original budget proposal. The county executive must agree with the council’s priorities as the proposing authority of the supplemental budget.
In addition to the budget, there are a number of other bills currently under consideration that may interest you:
- Bills 17-26 and 18-26 are the rezoning bills for the area of Gambrills/Odenton.
- Bill 19-26 offers a property tax credit for child or adult daycare facilities for the portion of a property that is used for the daycare and operated by the property owner.
- Bill 29-26 seeks to set additional requirements for the location of licensed cannabis dispensaries.
From battery energy storage systems to budget, it is an honor to represent our district on the issues that matter to you and your family.
You can contact me for county related concerns and feedback on this column by emailing amanda.fiedler@aacounty.org.