Exelon Corp. spent more than $400,000 lobbying the Maryland legislature between November 2012 and April 2013, making it the top spender in the state, according to recently-released data.
In all, utilities and other electric industry companies spent $1.25 million in lobbying over the six-month period. The companies spent $1.8 million in the year ending Oct. 31, 2012.
The companies’ lobbying reports do not specify what matters they were attempting to influence, with many citing only “energy matters.”
But legislative sources told RTO Insider the utilities spent much of their efforts lobbying to modify a bill offering subsidies to offshore wind power and fighting several bills that would add new safety standards on gas pipelines. They also opposed legislation that would have made wood and plant biomass eligible for inclusion in Maryland’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard.
After failing in two prior years, a less ambitious version of the offshore wind bill was approved. One gas pipeline bill, concerning implementation of federal pipeline safety laws, also was enacted. The biomass initiative became a task force study — the Maryland legislature’s consolation prize for bills lacking enough support to become law.
