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Maryland Department of Agriculture – EVSE Fee Regulation Comments

July 27, 2026July 30, 2026 Lanny

MDA EVSE registration sticker in Laurel, MD

Below is the complete set of public comments released by the Maryland Department of Agriculture in response to a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request I filed on July 2, 2026. The request asked for all comments submitted on the proposed EVSE Weights and Measures fee regulation changes.

The agency’s response contained 53 files. It included two copies of the Fair Charge Alliance comments but did not include a file with my own comments. Those comments are linked after the list for reference.

UPDATE: 2026/07/28 MDA was asked about missing files including mine and one other comment by name. They sent two more files, mine and that other commenter’s which have now been added in the list below.

You can browse, search, and download the individual documents in the viewer below.

Comments of Lanny Hartmann not included in the [original] MPIA response are in this PDF file.

The $150 Charger Fee Nobody Knew Was Coming

June 29, 2026June 30, 2026 Lanny

Clear Spring Maryland Farm EVSE, Level 2 charger

Maryland officials committed to a formal public hearing. They never held one. Here is how it all went wrong.

Today — June 29, 2026 — is the final day to submit written comments on the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s proposal to lower the annual registration fee for EV chargers after backlash when it was set at $150. In reality, it’s a done deal. Commercial chargers in Maryland need to be registered and paid up by July 1st. MDA was successful in getting an emergency regulation through that temporarily sets the new fee while the timeline for the regular amendment plays out.

I composed a letter of comment, knowing full well that it is a quixotic exercise. I’ve been involved with EV policy as a citizen advocate for more than a decade. I’ve seen how the sausage gets made and it’s often not pretty. It’s a process, nonetheless and I’ve generally felt like I was a genuine participant, even when the outcome was disappointing. But this time is different. I still can’t fully pinpoint it. Maybe it’s watching a commitment made to stakeholders simply vanish that gnaws at me. Or maybe it’s that I trusted a process that, in reality, isn’t there for us.

The following is my full letter of comment.

The Numbers Behind Maryland’s $150 EVSE Registration Program

March 1, 2026March 3, 2026 Lanny

Public Information Act Request Reveals Weights and Measures Testing Budget

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) anticipates spending $3,370,684.21 over five years to implement testing and compliance for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) under its Weights and Measures program. This figure comes from documentation released on Friday afternoon in response to a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request I submitted on January 13, 2026.

The program, which is scheduled to begin on July 1, requires public EV chargers used in commercial transactions (i.e., those accepting payment) to register and pay a $150 per port annual fee. The fee is intended to fund inspections and testing to ensure accurate electricity metering, similar to how the state regulates gas pumps and grocery store scales.