PA lawmaker calls Maryland energy policy "irresponsible"

As Maryland lawmakers work to address Maryland's energy crisis, a Pennsylvania Senator has been outspoken, saying the state needs to "step up" and generate more energy in-state.

Pennsylvania Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill represents residents in York County, which is located near the state line. While Maryland already imports about 40 percent of its energy from other states, including Pennsylvania. Phillips-Hill said that energy is from a mix of sources, including nuclear energy, coal and natural gas.

"I think now, with the decommissioning of the Brandon Shores facility, that amount of energy that Maryland's going to need to import is just going to increase dramatically," Phillips-Hill said.

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"Governor Moore likes to tout that he is green, and Maryland's green, and nothing could be further than from the truth, absolutely nothing could be further from the truth, Maryland is not green. Maryland is irresponsible," she added.

The Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 sets ambitious climate goals for the state, which include significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions over the next six years. Governor Wes Moore has also set a goal of 100% clean energy by 2035. At a legislative hearing in Annapolis this month, Paul Pinsky, the director for the Maryland Energy Administration said the state will need to generate additional energy to meet its goals, much of which will likely need to be nuclear energy.

"100 percent generation of clean energy in-state. Are we going to have that by 2035? It is extremely, extremely unlikely," said Paul Pinsky, the Director of the Maryland Energy Administration.

Officials with PJM, the regional grid operator, has also previously told lawmakers at hearings this month that the energy outlook in the state of Maryland at the moment is "dire."

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Phillips-Hill said with more energy being transported out of Pennsylvania, many energy projects including transmission lines and others like the Cuffs Run Hydroelectric Project, involves constructing a 225-foot-high, 1.8-mile-long dam and a power turbine system along the Lower Susquehanna River, could impact farms, forests and waterways. She also said Pennsylvania ratepayers could be responsible for paying for the projects.

"My district is under constant threat of these energy projects that are really directly correlated to the failed energy policies that Maryland has pursued," Phillips-Hill said.

Last week, Senate President Bill Ferguson addressed reporters, saying leadership in the General Assembly was planning to introduce a bill to address the state's energy needs.

While few details have been disclosed, he said "ultimately it is to increase domestic generation of energy in Maryland through an all of the above approach, as well as make it easier for projects to site and exist in Maryland in a thoughtful way, while also encouraging renewables."