Renewable Energy Siting and

Development

Background

New Regulations

During the REDS Task Force, the Maryland General Assembly passed an Administration bill in the 2020 legislative session (Senate Bill 281) to encourage renewable energy development on Brownfield sites. The bill provided a fee waiver for application to Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) for developers to locate clean or renewable energy projects on degraded lands, such as Brownfields. MDE has adopted new regulations that establish criteria for determining whether a VCP applicant has certified their intention to use an eligible property to generate clean or renewable energy, qualifying the applicant for an application fee waiver. The regulations become effective, and the ability to obtain a VCP clean and renewable energy application fee waiver begins, on January 1, 2022. 

Fee waiver for VCP applications when redeveloping with clean or renewable energy

The VCP program benefits participants by providing liability protection after remediation of the Brownfield sites and, in participating jurisdictions, Brownfield tax incentives. The VCP program also benefits the state by reviewing eligible property for environmental hazards before being converted to another use.  The application fee is $6,000 for new projects or $2,000 for a subsequent application if there is an active VCP application in progress.

●    existing infrastructure - electric, water and sewage, roads.

●    access to electric grid

●    large flat areas suitable for solar, wind, geothermal or biomass plants. Using such sites reduces site preparation costs.

●    low property values-site acquisition costs or leases will be lower than other sites

●    reduced land costs

●    tax incentives

●    community support through land revitalization efforts and open space protection, especially in Environmental Justice communities

​●    Brownfield redevelopment grant opportunities