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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1210*
HOUSE BILL 1210
C5 6lr2590
CF SB 584
By: Delegates Tomlinson, Baker, Bouchat, Ciliberti, Hornberger, Mangione,
Miller, Pippy, Rose, Stonko, Valentine, and Wivell
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2026
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Transmission Lines – 2
Notice to Landowners 3
FOR the purpose of requiring a person applying for a certificate of public convenience and 4
necessity for the construction of any transmission line to provide certain notices to 5
certain landowners regarding the construction; establishing that failure to provide a 6
certain notice invalidates a certain hearing and, under certain circumstances, voids 7
an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity; and generally 8
relating to the construction of transmission lines and applications for certificates of 9
public convenience and necessity. 10
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11
Article – Public Utilities 12
Section 3–106 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 16
Article – Public Utilities 17
Section 7–204 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 20
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22
Article – Public Utilities 23
3–106. 24
2 HOUSE BILL 1210
(a) If a person timely files, the person may apply to intervene in a proceeding 1
before the Commission. 2
(b) The Commission shall grant leave to intervene unless the Commission 3
concludes that: 4
(1) the parties to the proceeding adequately represent the intere st of the 5
person seeking to intervene; or 6
(2) the issues that the person seeks to raise are irrelevant or immaterial. 7
(c) (1) An intervenor has all the rights of a party to a proceeding. 8
(2) In a proceeding before the Commission, an individual who is an 9
intervenor may represent himself or herself. 10
7–204. 11
(a) IN THIS SECTION , “CONSTRUCTION” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 12
7–207 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 13
(B) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, at least 30 days 14
before a hearing, a publi c service company shall provide to each owner of land and each 15
owner of adjacent land, by certified mail, written notice of intent to run a line or similar 16
transmission device over, on, or under the land. 17
(2) AT THE SAME TIME A PE RSON APPLIES FOR A C ERTIFICATE OF 18
PUBLIC CONVENIENCE A ND NECESSITY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANY 19
TRANSMISSION LINE UN DER § 7–207 OR § 7–208 OF THIS SUBTITLE , THE PERSON 20
SHALL PROVIDE, BY CERTIFIED MAIL, NOTICE OF INTENT TO RUN A LINE OR SIMILAR 21
TRANSMISSION DEVICE OVER, ON, OR UNDER THE LAND TO: 22
(I) EACH OWNER OF LAND THAT ABUTS THE PROPERTY WHERE 23
THE CONSTRUCTION IS PLANNED; AND 24
(II) FOR CONSTRUCTION OF AN OVERHEAD TRANSMIS SION 25
LINE, EACH OWNER OF LAND AND EACH OWNER OF ADJACENT LAND. 26
(3) NOTICE PROVIDED UNDER THIS SUBSECTION SHALL ADVISE THE 27
RECIPIENT OF: 28
(I) ANY APPLICABLE RIGHT TO FILE AS AN INTERVENOR IN THE 29
PROCEEDING IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 3–106 OF THIS ARTICLE; 30
HOUSE BILL 1210 3
(II) THE PROCESS FOR FILI NG AS AN INTERVENOR IN THE 1
PROCEEDING, INCLUDING THE METHOD FOR FILING AND THE LOCATION WHERE THE 2
FILING IS REQUIRED TO BE SUBMITTED; 3
(III) THE DATE AND TIME BY WHICH THE RECIPIENT IS 4
REQUIRED TO FILE AS AN INTERVENOR IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED TIMELY; AND 5
(IV) CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE COMMISSION AND THE 6
WEBSITE WHERE THE RE CIPIENT MAY OBTAIN A DDITIONAL INFORMATIO N 7
REGARDING INTERVENTION RIGHTS AND PROCEDURES. 8
[(2)] (C) The public service company shall determine the property owners 9
from the current tax assessment records of the political subdivision in which the property 10
is located. 11
[(b) Unless the failure is willful or deliberate, the failure of a public service 12
company to provide notice does not invalidate a public hearing or require that another 13
hearing take place.] 14
(D) FAILURE TO PROVIDE NOTICE UNDER THIS SECTION: 15
(1) INVALIDATES A PUBLIC HEARING AND REQUIRES THAT ANOTHER 16
HEARING TAKE PLACE; OR 17
(2) IF THE REQUIRED NOTICE IS REGARDING AN APPLICATION FOR A 18
CERTIFICATE OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY, VOIDS THE APPLICATION 19
FOR A CERTIFICATE OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY. 20
(E) A PERSON WHOSE APPLICA TION FOR A CERTIFICA TE OF PUBLIC 21
CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY IS VOIDED UNDER SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION 22
MAY REAPPLY. 23
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 24
October 1, 2026. 25