Does Anyone Really Think Governor Moore’s Energy Policies Will Work? By Clayton Mitchell

“He’s a real nowhere man,
Sitting in his nowhere land,
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.”

–  The Beatles (“Nowhere Man”)

Electric bills across Maryland are set to rise again this July. This is not an isolated spike or a seasonal adjustment – it is part of an ominous emerging trend that increasingly burdens working families. 

The cost of energy continues to climb, and yet the state’s current energy policy offers no immediate relief. In fact, the policies promoted by Governor Wes Moore may very well make the problem worse.

Baltimore Gas and Electric customers, for example, are expected to see an increase of about $16 per month, with other utility providers facing similar jumps. This news comes from reporting by Christine Condon of Maryland Matters, who has tracked the legislative and regulatory developments behind these hikes. 

Condon notes that while consumers brace for higher costs, state leaders, including Governor Moore, are promoting a sweeping energy reform package as a step forward. But for many Marylanders, the direction forward is unclear, and the destination looks increasingly unaffordable.

The centerpiece of this new agenda is the Next Generation Energy Act, which aims to increase in-state energy production and battery storage while capping certain utility expenditures. The law’s stated goal is to curb rising rates and modernize the grid. Yet even supporters of the bill admit that the state has not built up enough alternative energy sources to replace the fossil fuel infrastructure it is retiring. 

The imbalance is already evident – and it is Maryland ratepayers who are left to pay the price.

To mitigate some of the cost pressure, the law pulls $200 million from a renewable energy compliance fund to issue partial rebates to consumers of roughly $80 per household, split into two payments. But as Condon points out, this rebate is merely a temporary cushion against what is becoming a long-term problem: a shrinking energy supply and an unstable regulatory strategy.

One of the more controversial aspects of Moore’s energy agenda is that the Renewable Energy Certainty Act overrides local zoning rules to streamline the siting of commercial solar farms. The law has drawn strong bipartisan opposition, especially from rural legislators who argue that it threatens productive farmland and local autonomy. 

It raises a serious question: why is the state preempting local land-use decisions to accelerate an energy plan that has yet to demonstrate reliability or affordability?

The pushback has not only come from rural Republicans. As Maryland Matters reports, 87 state legislators signed a letter urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to block the rate increases tied to a flawed PJM energy auction held last year. The auction failed to account for two Maryland fossil-fuel plants that were still in operation, leading to inflated prices that will now be passed on to consumers, along with an additional charge to keep those same plants online. 

According to David Lapp, Maryland’s People’s Counsel, ratepayers are effectively paying twice: once for the energy and again to preserve emergency capacity.

Oddly, while Governor Moore supported sweeping legislation on energy infrastructure, he chose to veto one of the least controversial components of the broader package: the creation of a Strategic Energy Planning Office. 

The veto surprised many in the legislature, including Senator Katie Fry Hester, who sponsored the bill. Moore cited costs as the reason. Yet the office would have been funded by the same revenue source that supports the Public Service Commission and the People’s Counsel – offices directly responsible for protecting consumers from excessive rate increases. 

This decision undermines the idea that the Moore administration is serious about long-term planning.

Environmental and consumer groups have offered mixed reactions. Some, like Maryland PIRG, have applauded new limits on natural gas expansion and excessive utility spending. Others, however, have expressed concern over provisions that may fast-track new fossil fuel infrastructure, or weaken oversight of incineration subsidies.

The solar energy bill has generated vehement backlash in areas like the Eastern Shore, where local governments are now sidelined in favor of a one-size-fits-all approach to renewable development. This top-down strategy disregards local needs and sacrifices flexibility in pursuit of policy goals that remain unproven at scale.

It is important to stress that most Marylanders support renewable energy when it is implemented responsibly. The concern is not with the concept of cleaner energy, but with the current pace and structure of implementation. Governor Moore’s energy policy appears more focused on headlines than outcomes. Ambitious goals are paired with insufficient infrastructure, and the burden is repeatedly shifted to households that are already financially stretched thin.

Maryland is not yet prepared to meet its energy needs with renewables alone. By accelerating the retirement of traditional power sources without building sufficient alternatives, the state risks chronic instability in both energy supply and pricing. Until those gaps are addressed with pragmatic, data-driven solutions, no legislative press release will change the facts on the ground… or the numbers on a utility bill.

If the goal is truly energy affordability, then Governor Moore’s policies must be re-evaluated not by political aspiration, but by economic impact. As it stands, the average Marylander is being asked to fund a policy vision that has not been grounded in practical realities. That is not leadership. That is risk without accountability.

So again, I ask: does anyone really believe Governor Moore’s energy policies will work for anyone outside the politically connected class in Annapolis?

Clayton A. Mitchell, Sr. is a life-long Eastern Shoreman, an attorney, and former Chairman of the Maryland Department of Labor’s Board of Appeals.  He is co-host of the Gonzales/Mitchell Show podcast that discusses politics, business, and cultural issues.