Housing and Community Development – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions – Issuance of Loans and Achievement of Targets

HB 155 authorizes Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development to issue **loans (in addition to grants)** for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in multifamily residential buildings primarily serving **low- and moderate-income households**. The bill expands the types of energy savings the department can count toward greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets to include **all funding sources** meeting federal efficiency standards, such as utility programs. It requires annual reporting on funded projects and establishes 2016 energy use data from low-income residential buildings as the emissions baseline. The bill explicitly **prohibits funding for fossil fuel equipment** or efficiency improvements to existing fossil fuel systems.