MEII Director serves on Daily Record virtual panel discussion

Higher electricity bills are top of mind for many Marylanders as rates keep climbing.

But just how the state can address the higher bills, while also satisfying residents’ concerns about the environment, data centers or building new solar, wind, natural gas or nuclear generation, remains a critical challenge for experts and business leaders alike.

During a Daily Record virtual panel discussion Thursday, the future of energy and utilities in the rapidly evolving regulatory and business landscape was discussed. The webinar featured three experts: Michael C. Powell, an attorney and member of Gordon Feinblatt LLC’s energy & environmental practice; Steven Singh, vice president of customer operations at Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., an Exelon Company; and Eric Wachsman, Distinguished Univeristy Professor at the University of Maryland’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), and director of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute.

The event was sponsored by BGE, an Exelon Company, and moderated by The Daily Record’s editor, Kendyl Kearly.

Watch a free replay of the virtual panel discussion.

In discussing the Maryland Utility RELIEF act, Wachsman noted, “The big issue we have is we don’t really generate in this state. We need to do more of that. At the same time, we need to keep our climate concerns as part of that.”

He also noted that Maryland currently imports roughly 40% of its electricity from other states, so we don’t have control of how that energy is generated — doing so in-state means Maryland could better control how power generation is done. Wachsman said creating more energy storage is also crucial to a healthy energy marketplace, as it can help with the reliability of wind and solar generation in peak use hours.

The full transcript of the panel discussion can be found here.

Published June 25, 2026