Signs direct voters to a polling place at Sacred Heart Church in La Plata in this photo from the 2022 elections. (File photo by Angela Breck/Maryland Matters)

 An Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge issued a partial ruling Monday in favor of a group of unaffiliated Maryland voters who are challenging the state’s closed primary election system.

A fuller victory might be harder to come by, though.

Judge Pamela K. Alban determined the voters had standing to file their case, but she has yet to decide whether she’ll dismiss the case on other grounds raised by the defendants — or allow it to proceed. She said she will issue a written ruling in the coming days.

Alban indicated she was skeptical of the voters’ arguments in their lawsuit that their claims were not resolved by prior case law, but said she planned to continue considering the “nuance” of the law.

“I want to think about it a bit more,” Alban said. “I imagine no matter what I do, this may not be the end.”

Attorneys for the plaintiffs, a group of five Maryland voters who are not affiliated with a political party, were quick to say after Monday’s hearing that they would appeal a dismissal by Alban. But former Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, one of the attorneys, said he is “hopeful” for a favorable result.

Across the country, primary election structures vary widely. Maryland has a “partially closed” system, because political parties can choose to allow unaffiliated voters to join, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which said Maryland is one of 18 states with either completely closed or partially closed primaries.

Then-Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford (R) at the State of the State address in Annapolis in 2020. (File photo by Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters)

The group of voters in the Maryland suit are challenging the fact that the state government funds primary elections that are not open to all voters, since voters must generally affiliate with the Democratic or Republican party to cast their ballots in primaries — unless it’s a non-partisan race. Their suit names the State Board of Elections and various state officials as defendants.

Daniel Kobrin, an assistant attorney general representing the defendants, argued that the case was focused on an alleged “waste of taxpayer money,” and that the plaintiffs didn’t have the standing to sue based on their status as taxpayers.

Eric Gunderson, an attorney for the voters, said that the plaintiffs are not arguing that the state shouldn’t fund primaries. Rather, they are arguing that, if the state continues to sponsor those elections, they should be open to all. The political parties could opt to fund their own primary elections if they wished to continue restricting participation, Gunderson said.

Alban agreed with him, ruling that the case was an elections matter — not a taxpayer one — and that the five plaintiffs had standing to sue because they are all registered voters in the state.

But Kobrin also argued in his filings that previous cases have already decided the issue, and so the Maryland voters’ suit should be dismissed. In particular, he referenced a pair of rulings from the Maryland Supreme Court, from 1946 and 2004, respectively — Hennegan v. Geartner and Suessman v. Lamone.

“Candidly, I think that’s your strongest argument,” the judge told Kobrin, before opening up the floor for him to speak on the legal precedent.

Kobrin asserted that, per prior court rulings, the state’s “well established” reasons for sponsoring primary elections must be weighed against the burden faced by unaffiliated voters, who are fenced out of the process. The state’s needs outweigh the voters’ burden, he said.

If the state didn’t hold primaries, it would run the risk of general election ballots looking more like “NFL pre-season rosters, with hundreds of names,” Kobrin joked. Primaries, he said, “avoid the chaos of a general election with dozens of candidates for each race.”

Kobrin also argued that, although the Maryland Constitution provides the right to vote, it doesn’t necessarily confer upon all Marylanders the right to participate in party primaries.

“Of course there’s a right to vote,” Kobrin said. “What they don’t have is the right to participate in partisan races with a party they’re not affiliated with.”

Turning to Gunderson, the judge called the legal precedent his “biggest challenge.”

Gunderson argued that neither of the two main cases cited by Kobrin centered on the issue at the center of their claim: the state’s decision to put its resources toward primary elections.

“If the parties want to have closed primary systems, they should pay for them,” he said.

Because neither of the two state Supreme Court cases deal directly with that issue, Gunderson argued that they shouldn’t bar the plaintiffs from moving forward with their case, and arguing about the precedent in trial.

But Alban prodded back, adding that Gunderson’s “seemed like a really tight reading of those cases.”

by Christine Condon, Maryland Matters
October 20, 2025

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].

In a clear rebuke of recent federal health policy, 15 Democratic governors announced Wednesday that they have formed a public health alliance that breaks with guidance from the Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

It’s the largest move by states to diverge from recent policy decisions under Kennedy that have alarmed medical and public health experts, from federal funding cuts for health services to changes to vaccine guidance.

In addition to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), governors participating in the Governors Public Health Alliance are from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington, as well as the U.S. territory of Guam.

“This alliance is a commitment to transparency, preparedness, and coordination so that no state faces health threats alone,” Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer said in a statement. “By working together, governors can share data, resources, and lessons learned to strengthen our preparedness for the next public health challenge.”

In a statement on social media, Moore said that, “At a time when the federal government is telling the states, ‘you’re on your own,’ I’m proud to join other governors across the nation in the Governors Public Health Alliance.”

The new Governors Public Health Alliance is intended to strengthen collaboration among the states in emergency preparedness and communication, to help them share data and expertise, and to improve response times to health threats. Although the participating governors are all Democrats, they’re billing the coalition as nonpartisan.

The new alliance comes on the heels of previous regional coordination efforts, such as the West Coast Health Alliance between California, Oregon and Washington, and a similar effort among states in the Northeast.

In recent months, at least 17 states have sidestepped federal guidance and promoted broader access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Those moves came in the wake of new COVID-19 vaccine guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, both under the leadership of Kennedy, a well-known vaccine skeptic.

“As extremists try to weaponize the CDC and spread misinformation, we’re stepping up to coordinate across states, protect communities and ensure decisions are driven by data, facts, and the health of the American people,” California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

Meanwhile, major professional societies such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have released their own guidance that diverges from federal policy on a number of issues, from vaccines to autism.

The new Governors Public Health Alliance will be supported by the nonprofit Governors Action Alliance, or GovAct, an initiative overseen by a group of former governors that include both Republicans and Democrats.

— Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at [email protected].

by Anna Claire Vollers, Maryland Matters
October 15, 2025

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].

A plan to give undocumented immigrants access to Maryland’s state health insurance marketplace next year has been put off until 2028 by state officials, citing recent federal policies affecting immigrants as well as overall uncertainty in health care markets.

The delay was the one of the biggest changes outlined for state lawmakers Thursday by health care and health insurance officials discussing the impact of recent Trump administration policies on Maryland’s health care system.

The joint virtual meeting of the Senate Finance and the House Health and Government Operations committees went over policies that are expected to increase health insurance costs,  create barriers to access plans and reduce federal funding to Maryland, among other effects. The briefing also laid out the ways in which Maryland might respond to those changes.

Michele Eberle, executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, said one of the changes she was the “most unhappy about” was a delay in the implementation of the Access to Care Act, in light of recent federal developments.

Currently, undocumented immigrants can purchase health care plans directly from insurers. But they are barred from using the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to compare plans and find the most appropriate insurance for their households.

The 2024 Access to Care Act would have change that by opening the marketplace to undocumented residents, allowing them access to the marketplace,where they could comparison-shop health plans from different providers. It was to take effect next year if the state could get a waiver from the federal government, which is got while President Joe Biden was still in office.

The law would not have given undocumented residents access to the federal subsidies to make health care affordable for many customers. But, for those who could afford to buy individual plans without a subsidy, it would at least have given them a chance to use the online marketplace as a tool to weigh their options.

But with the Trump administration’s antagonistic approach toward undocumented immigrants, along with significant changes to health care funding, Eberle said the exchange decided to delay opening the marketplace to undocumented residents until 2028.

“We worked really hard under the last [Biden] administration to make sure that it was approved — and we were all set to go,” Eberle said. “We did not anticipate at that time that we would have the Marketplace Integrity Rule or HR 1 that would throw up a whole bunch of new requirements that we would have to put in place in short order.”

The rule and the bill — also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill — overhaul parts of the Affordable Care Act and other federal health regulations, and states like Maryland are having to focus their resources on complying with those changes.

The Marketplace Integrity Rule also revoked a Biden-era decision that classified immigrants covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — for undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country as children — as “lawfully present” individuals. Being lawfully present would have given DACA recipients access to the federal subsidies that help make health care coverage affordable for many.

Without the classification, DACA recipients lose access to the subsidies, a change that is set to affect about 300 DACA recipients in Maryland currently benefiting from those subsidies.

But federal decisions targeting Maryland’s undocumented and immigrant populations were just part of what Insurance Commissioner Marie Grant called “gloomy but important” health care-related updates under the Trump administration.

Grant noted the significant rise expected next year in insurance premiums — due in part to the anticipated expiration of pandemic-era federal tax credits that bring down costs of individual plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act.

In September, the Maryland Insurance Administration approved an average premium increase of 13.4% across plans next year, less than what insurance companies initially asked for, but still a significant hit in monthly costs for many low- to middle-income families.

Health care advocates fear people will drop their coverage because they can no longer afford their plans if those credits expire. But carriers say the rate increases are needed to offset the number of people they expect will choose to go without health insurance — due to high costs.

The General Assembly approved funding this year that would partially replace the soon-to-expire federal tax credits for the coming year. But those state subsidies are only temporary fixes, analysts say, and even with that assistance plenty of people will still pay more each month for coverage than they did this year.

Congress could vote to extend those tax credits, which is at the heart to the current government shutdown debate. But Grant notes that time is running out to make that decision and have it effect 2026 health care plans.

“We’re expecting those enhanced tax credits to expire by the end of this year, unless Congress takes action to extend them,” she said. “The clock is ticking. It is … likely we’re getting to a point where, unless this extension happened in the next couple of days, it is likely too late to have carriers refile rates for 2026.”

by Danielle J. Brown, Maryland Matters
October 17, 2025

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].

 From left, Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-3rd), Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), NTEU President Doreen Greenwald, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) at podium, Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-2nd), Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) and Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) at the Capitol on Monday. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)

State officials have been doing what they can to connect Maryland residents with food, housing, health care and financial resources ahead of a looming government  shutdown.

What they can’t do is make the White House and Congress come to an agreement that would head off the shutdown that is scheduled to hit at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

“There’s rumors that the Trump administration is going to use the shutdown as an excuse to lay off … people,” said Del. Jazz Lewis (D-Prince George’s). “It’s a scary time for them.”

After a meeting between President Donald Trump (R) and congressional leaders at the White House ended without an agreement Monday afternoon, Vice President JD Vance said bluntly, “We’re headed to a shutdown.”

Maryland has already lost the most federal jobs of any state, shedding more than 15,000 federal jobs since Trump took office in January, and the administration has directed agency heads to prepare for large-scale layoffs if a shutdown occurs.

Even without layoffs, a shutdown could threaten a large part of Maryland’s workforce — the state had an estimated 269,000 federal workers in 2023, according to a report from the Maryland Department of Labor.

“Marylanders should not have to bear the consequences of political games that put their paychecks, healthcare and security at risk,” David Turner, the communications director for Gov. Wes Moore (D), said in a statement. “At every step, the governor’s priority is making sure that Marylanders know their state will stand with them.”

He said the state has been working to connect Maryland residents with resources to help cope with a shutdown, including career transition support and increased administration of both unemployment insurance and interest-free loan programs for furloughed workers.

“The potential mass firing of more federal workers and furloughing tens of thousands of contractors in Maryland as the result of shutdown will only further jeopardize both our citizens’ livelihoods and Maryland’s economy,” the statement said.

Lewis said that besides the large number federal employees in Maryland’s workforce, the state is also home to federal contractors or researchers, meaning a government shutdown could have a “ripple effect” on the economy. Nearly 11% of Maryland’s gross domestic product came from the federal government in 2023, according to a report from the Maryland Department of Labor.

Legislation to provide emergency assistance to furloughed workers was passed during a long government shutdown in the first Trump administration, and that fund is still operational, according to Lewis. The fund was also expanded to provide support to federal workers who have been laid off.

“Maryland’s going to stand ready to try to help our citizens where and how we can,” he said.

The Maryland Labor Department has resources like the Federal Shutdown Loan Program for essential workers — those who have to work without pay during a shutdown, but get back pay after it ends —  and unemployment insurance for furloughed workers, according to a statement from Labor Secretary Portia Wu.

The state provides these resources along with support for laid off federal workers, such as other types of unemployment insurance and support in finding a new job, according to the statement. Many Maryland counties have also offered job fairs to help federal workers transition into a new role.

“A federal government shutdown creates immediate financial hardship for our dedicated public servants,” the statement said.

On Capitol Hill Monday, lawmakers came out to support companion bills by Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-3rd) aimed at helping workers through any shutdown. The Help Federal Employees During Shutdons — or Help FEDS — Act would require that states allow essential federal workers, who have to work without pay during a shutdown, to apply for unemployment insurance.

Elfreth said she remains hopeful her Republican colleagues will listen to their “better angels” on helping federal workers.

“I think everybody is up here because we happen to be optimistic in nature. You couldn’t really be a politician in this Congress without being an optimist,” she said.

“Many federal employees live in all 435 congressional districts, and so our colleagues are going to have their own constituents working on Wednesday if we shut down without a paycheck,” Elfreth said. “It’s just about calling forth everybody’s better angels in this moment, at least on this issue.”

The lawmakers were joined by Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which she said represents nearly 160,000 federal employees and 38 federal agencies nationwide.

“My hope is that everyone works together to provide the necessary resources to fund the government, deliver services to the American people and avoid a wasteful and costly government shutdown,” she said. “I am grateful for the people standing behind me today that are willing to stand up and support federal employees.”

— Reporter William J. Ford contributed to this story from Washington, D.C.

by Nicole Pilsbury, Maryland Matters
September 30, 2025

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].

Gov. Wes Moore (D) fist-pumps Wednesday for a crowd of his supporters at the J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake in Crisfield. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/ Maryland Matters)

They came to Crisfield by boat and by car, moving in packs with bused-in entourages, or in quiet solitude.

Pulled by tradition and strict electoral calendar observance, candidates for governor — the announced, the filed and the explorers — arrived at a patch of marina blacktop Wednesday that is home to the J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake. The annual event draws locals for a day of crabs, corn and beer and it draws the political class from far-flung corners of the state who come to crack crabs, kibitz and talk political smack.

That started with Gov. Wes Moore (D), who name-checked a growing list of potential Republican challengers to his 2026 reelection before dismissing them for refusing to speak out against President Donald Trump (R) and his policies.

“We’ve heard nothing from them,” Moore told reporters. “So, to be honest, it kind of doesn’t matter to me who gets in the race, whether it’s Andy Harris or [John] Myrick or [Steve] Hershey or [Larry] Hogan … because they’re all saying the same things when it comes to lifting up the people of Maryland and defending the people of Maryland, which is absolutely nothing.”

Hogan was the only one on Moore’s list who was not in attendance Wednesday. For more than a decade, the two-term former governor was a mainstay at the event, a consummate retail politician. But not this year, despite talk that he might make an appearance in the tent of Annapolis power lobbyist and Tawes booster Bruce Bereano.

But Hogan was still part of the Tawes conversation.

Sen. Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Upper Shore), who is exploring a run for governor, said he has “had a number of people ask about it and ask me how the exploratory aspect of it is going.”

Sen. Stephen S. Hershey (R-Upper Shore), left, talks with former Del. Carl Anderton, now a state employee, who was on a list of Republicans endorsing Gov. Wes Moore (D).  (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)

“You know, we’re doing well. We’re getting a lot of people interested,” he said, before adding, “I think a lot of people are still waiting to hear what Gov. Hogan wants to do.”

When asked if he was among that group waiting on Hogan, Hershey said: “Yes.”

Hershey entered Somers Cove Marina through a back entrance, and did not bring a campaign with him. Not so Moore,  who arrived at the event by boat, fresh off a tour of Smith Island.

The governor, who announced his re-election bid two weeks ago, was joined by Lt. Gov Aruna Miller, who did not join her running mate on the boat but quietly mixed in with the throng following Moore. That included several dozen not-so-quiet supporters decked out in campaign shirts and signs, chanting in support of Moore.

“This is grassroots,” Moore said of the supporters, some of whom said they were bused to the event from Prince George’s County and Baltimore City.

The crab feast – in its 48th year — is named for J. Millard Tawes, a former governor and state comptroller who hailed from Crisfield. Once a fundraiser for Tawes, the event has since morphed into a fundraiser for the Crisfield Chamber of Commerce.

For decades it has been a popular destination for political leaders — especially in election years — and regular folks. This year’s event is the last before the 2026 primary next June.

Before arriving Wednesday, Moore sought to bolster his bipartisan credibility by releasing a list of Republicans who support him.

“We actually have a series of Republican lawmakers who represented over 200,000 Marylanders and who are coming out and saying that despite the fact that I happen to be a Democrat, and they happen to be a Republican, that they are coming out to support our re-election,” Moore said. “And it is because we have kept to our word to leave no one behind.”

Washington County Commission President John Barr and Rising Sun Mayor Travis Marion are on the list of Republicans endorsing Moore, along with two Allegany County officials, Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton and Lonaconing Mayor Jack Coburn.

Also on the list were former Del. Carl Anderton and former Carroll County Commissioner Ed Rothstein. Moore’s release did not mention that both now have jobs within his administration: Anderton was named director of rural strategy in the Maryland Department of Commerce last year and Rothstein was named secretary of the Department of Veterans and Military Families in July.

“So, in other words, a paid political announcement by employees of Wes Moore,” Hershey said.

Moore dismissed the critique as “ridiculous.”

“I understand that there are people with fledgling campaigns they are trying to get off the ground. It’s not my job to try to lift them up. My job is to support the people of this state,” he said. “So, when I hear ridiculous comments and I’m asked for comment, my comment is I don’t have a comment.”

Anderton said his support rose from Moore’s efforts to assist a regional airport and medical center.

“That was enough for me right there,” Anderton said. “A friend in need is a friend indeed. He’s never denied us. To me, that’s value.”

Moore dissent

As Moore’s crowd chanted — clad in their matching T-shirts, with their matching signs — a few counterprotesters emerged from the tents nearby, including Don Howell, a bearded Eastern Shore resident wearing a “Jesus” T-shirt, with a sticker for Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st) attached.

Don Howell, who supports GOP gubernatorial candidate John Myrick, yells back at a chanting crowd of Moore supporters at the Tawes crab feast. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/ Maryland Matters)

The “We want Moore” chants, he said, were interrupting his time feasting on steamed crabs and talking with friends.

“He’s already taken all my money,” Howell said of the governor. “Now he wants to take my conversations?”

The 68-year-old, who lives in the Eastern Shore’s Mount Vernon, near Princess Anne, said he supports Republican John Myrick in next year’s gubernatorial contest, in part because of Myrick’s “commonsense” approach to pocketbook issues. He pointed to Myrick’s proposals for property tax credits for retirees.

“I’m a senior citizen, and I’m trying to survive on Social Security. My wife still works, but it’s hard,” Howell said. “Our electric bills are going sky high.”

Howell argued that Moore has funneled money to “illegal aliens” and energy affordability programs, wasting a surplus handed down by Hogan. He decried recent increases in government fees, including for car registrations and hunting licenses.

“You’re a thief!” he shouted as the governor passed by. “You’re a criminal! You don’t belong in government, you belong in jail!”

He also yelled “Go back to Prince George’s County” at Moore’s chanting supporters.

Myrick came to Tawes for the chance to take shots at Moore, as he angles for a general election face-off. He brushed off concerns about a potential primary challenge from Hogan.

“I entered this race for a general election race. That man is my opponent,” he said, pointing toward the governor, who was close by. “I really don’t care about what Gov. Hogan does.”

Myrick, a Prince George’s County resident who grew up in Harford County, said he is canvassing around the state, including stops on the Eastern Shore.

John Myrick, a Republican candidate for governor, came to Crisfield as part of a campaign visit to the Eastern Shore. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)

“The people that I’m hearing on the lower Eastern Shore have been forgotten about for a long, long time. The only time the politicians seem to come down here is the Tawes event,” Myrick said.

Even though Moore included Harris on his list of potential opponents, the eight-term congressman from the Eastern Shore said Wednesday at Tawes that he will not be jumping into the fray.

“We do need a governor — not a presidential candidate — to run the state,” Harris said, poking Moore over persistent gossip that he wants to run for president. “But I’m not going to run for governor.”

Harris said he is taking his time when it comes to deciding who to endorse in the governor’s race, in part because Maryland has two former Republican governors who would be eligible to run again: Hogan and Robert Ehrlich. The filing deadline for the race is not until Feb. 24.

“There’s obviously at least one or two very high-profile former governors who don’t need to file early,” Harris said. “So, look, I’m waiting until February to see what happens.”

Harris, a staunch supporter of Trump, backed the president on several issues Wednesday. He said the administration raised “valid concerns” that the effort to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge with federal dollars will follow state law requiring minority-owned business participation.

He also said he stands by Trump’s effort to shrink the federal bureaucracy, though it has meant some 15,100 Marylanders have lost federal jobs since January. Harris pointed to the Moore administration’s voluntary separation offers for state employees in response to the state’s budget crunch.

“I don’t understand why he’s criticizing the president. He’s doing exactly the same thing in the state for state employees,” Harris said.

Harris also attacked the Moore administration for fee increases engineered to address the state’s budget crisis.

“The governor can go around saying he provided some minuscule tax break on income taxes, whereas every Marylander who opens up their car registration renewal understands that the fees are out of control,” Harris said.

---

by Bryan P. Sears and Christine Condon, Maryland Matters
September 25, 2025

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].

Maryland lawmakers want you to read your utility bill particularly closely this month.

A roughly $40 rebate on electricity bills, approved by the General Assembly in April, finally started heading out to customers in August, with a second round expected in early 2026.

Legislators took $200 million from a state fund for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs to send the refund directly to all residential ratepayers, in hopes of easing the burden of recent rate hikes.

State Democrats touted the refund at a news conference Monday in Randallstown, during which Gov. Wes Moore (D) turned the focus to PJM Interconnection, the operator of the 13-state electric grid that includes Maryland. Moore argued that “outdated processes” at PJM have led to the dramatic bill increases, and renewed his calls for the states to gain a voice on the governing board.

“We demand a seat at the table with PJM, because no longer can they make decisions about us when we’re not at the table in the first place,” Moore said.

In remarks at a PJM summit in Philadelphia on Monday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) was even more direct, floating the possibility that his state, the largest energy generator in the grid, could leave PJM if systematic reforms don’t take place in “months, not years.”

“If PJM refuses to change, we will be forced to go in a different direction, and that will have a significant impact here in this region and across the country,” Shapiro said. “To be clear, that is not a path that I am eager to chart. But I am not willing to stand idly by and let PJM dictate our future.”

Republicans fire back

Maryland Democrats, alongside affordability advocates like the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel, have thrown barbs at PJM as bills skyrocket, arguing that the grid has not moved quickly enough to allow new energy projects to come online, as projected power demand jumps thanks to artificial intelligence and data centers.

Republicans, a minority in both the Maryland House and Senate, have taken a different tack, arguing that the state’s efforts to promote renewable energy projects and reduce greenhouse gas emissions have increased energy costs.

“The Democratic majority has placed the blame on energy companies and on PJM, as if they have no culpability in the skyrocketing energy costs that have our communities in a chokehold,” House Minority Leader Jason Buckel (R-Allegany) said in a statement Monday.

The fund that legislators tapped to pay for the electricity bill refund, called the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, is made up largely of proceeds from a carbon dioxide allowance auction and alternative compliance payments from electricity suppliers that do not meet renewable energy requirements. The fund has ballooned in recent years due to an increase in compliance payments.

“Governor Moore isn’t giving out relief — he’s just recycling ratepayer money Maryland families already paid on their utility bills,” said a statement Monday from Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey (R- Upper Shore).

PJM, meanwhile, argues that some reforms are already underway, including a fast-track process for “shovel-ready” energy projects to get through the queue and connect to the grid. The grid operator also set a cap on a key energy auction that increased prices for PJM customers, at the urging of Shapiro, Moore and other governors in the region.

The refund rollout

Some energy customers in Maryland may have already received the credit on their electric bills. Others might still be waiting. It all depends on the utility and the billing cycle, officials say.

The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel said the state’s three Exelon utilities — Baltimore Gas and Electric, Pepco and Delmarva Power and Light — began issuing refunds in August, but the process extended into September. Potomac Edison expected to issue its refunds in September. The Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, on the other hand, got it done in August.

According to its website, BGE issued the payment by placing its residential customers into one of four tiers based on their average monthly energy usage, with the smallest users receiving a credit of $30.50 and the largest users receiving a credit of $66.

Speaking in her district at the Randallstown Community Center, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D- Baltimore County) said she has seen the strain of inflation and higher power bills in her community.

“I see people working harder than ever to make ends meet. I see people tightening their budgets. And yes, I see people struggling with rising energy costs,” Jones said.

The refund was one small part of a sprawling energy package passed by the General Assembly and signed by Moore. The main bill, called the Next Generation Energy Act, also aimed to increase in-state power generation, including by creating a fast-track for certain eligible projects at the Maryland Public Service Commission, and to curtail utility infrastructure spending and multiyear rate increase plans.

“We may not be able to make energy costs fall overnight, but together, by combining relief with reform, we can make Maryland a more resilient and a more affordable state for everyone,” Jones said.

The refund comes as Maryland consumers are just beginning to see higher bills resulting from an energy auction held by PJM in 2024, which cleared at a historically high price.

The People’s Counsel estimated that, if the costs were spread out over 12 months, customers could expect to see an average increase of about $13 per month on their bills. Baltimore Gas and Electric customers were expected to see one of the larger increases, at $16 per month.

But regulators stepped in, requiring the utility to suspend the cost increases in the summer and winter, when bills are higher because customers are using more energy to heat and cool their homes.

As a result though, typical BGE customers will see an estimated monthly bill increase of $30 this fall and spring, according to the Office of People’s Counsel.

by Christine Condon, Maryland Matters
September 22, 2025

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].

In a Baltimore Sun article headlined “Seven years, $13M in tax dollars: What happened to Cambridge Harbor?” state and local officials acknowledge that the ambitious mixed-use project, which was planned to include an anchor hotel, fishing pier, shops, and residential development, is still “years away from any substantive progress.” They cite pending approvals and uncertain financing as major reasons for the delay. The Sun notes that pier funding has yet to be approved by the state, no hotel developer has been hired, and the city has not signed off on the plans.

According to the Sun’s review of tax filings and other records, Cambridge Waterfront Development Inc. (CWDI) has received $13.158 million in federal, state, and local grants over the past six years. That includes $8.8 million in state grants, $2.4 million in federal funding, $1.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, $204,000 directly from Cambridge, and $205,000 from Dorchester County. The records show that 27 percent went to construction, 24 percent to design, 24 percent to property acquisition, 18 percent to demolition, and 7 percent to operating costs.

CWDI chairwoman Angie Hengst said the group is working with city planning staff on required approvals and hopes to have a contract signed by the end of October.

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