The Maryland Freedom Caucus has steadfastly and consistently warned that extreme environmental policies, radical green activism, and bureaucratic red tape implemented by the Maryland General Assembly, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and groups like the Sierra Club would push our state into an energy supply crisis.

Now, that warning has become reality.

Maryland Is on the Brink of Rolling Blackouts

PJM Interconnection, our regional grid operator, has issued a dire warning: A power emergency in Maryland is imminent. Just days ago, they sent a request for federal intervention to Secretary Christopher Wright of the Department of Energy. This proves what we’ve been saying all along: closing power plants has brought us to the brink of grid failure.

To understand PJM’s pickle, here is a breakdown of their request:

• Wagner Unit 4, a power plant in Anne Arundel County, is the only generating facility capable of preventing blackouts in the BG&E Zone under certain emergency conditions.
• That unit is restricted by a 2020 environmental consent agreement pushed by the Sierra Club and MDE, which limits its operation to 438 hours per year.
• As of today, the plant has only ~80 hours of run-time left in 2025. That’s less than four days of emergency power before the lights go out. And it is only July!

Without Relief, Rolling Blackouts Could Begin This Year

PJM has stated, in no uncertain terms, that without the ability to operate Wagner 4, it may have to “shed firm load,” which is a sanitized way of saying forced blackouts for homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses in Maryland.

This isn’t a conspiracy or political posturing. It’s a direct consequence of Maryland’s war on energy reliability, where traditional power generation is vilified, shut down, or handicapped without any realistic replacement ready.

The Price of Virtue Signaling: Skyrocketing Costs

Environmental extremists and their legislative allies have created an artificial scarcity of power in Maryland. The results?

• Maryland now faces some of the highest electricity and utility costs in the country.
• We’re essentially running extension cords across state lines, importing electricity from coal and natural gas plants in other states while shutting down our own.
• We’re so desperate for relief we’re asking the federal government to override Maryland’s own regulations just to keep the grid from collapsing!

This Crisis Was Entirely Avoidable

The Maryland Freedom Caucus has consistently fought to:

• Keep reliable power plants like Wagner and Brandon Shores fully operational
• Cut through red tape that strangles energy infrastructure projects
• Bring common sense to our energy strategy, not ideology
• Put ratepayers, not radical activists, at the center of energy policy by calling for the end of the EmPOWER program.

Instead, Annapolis chose “The Green Energy Scam”, locking our state into a model that values carbon credits more than public safety and economic security.

A Wake-Up Call to Maryland Voters and Lawmakers

The Wagner Unit 4 situation is a consequence of failed leadership. Marylanders are now facing the real possibility of going without power because the Maryland Democrats and the Governor have prioritized headlines and lawsuits over heat and light.

The Maryland Freedom Caucus is renewing its call for:

• Getting our power plants back online by immediately suspending artificial run-time limits during emergency periods.
• Ending the Green Energy Scam and rolling back anti-energy mandates that put lives and livelihoods at risk
• End EmPOWER to lower ratepayers’ electric bills NOW

In addition, Maryland must immediately withdraw from the disastrous and voluntary Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which has driven up energy costs, punished ratepayers, and compromised grid reliability in the name of ineffective climate symbolism.

Governor Wes Moore has the power to do most of this with a stroke of his pen and a phone call to the Maryland Department of Energy.

We can no longer afford to let radical environmental groups dictate Maryland’s energy future. The time for action – real, reliable, common-sense action – is now.

 

Authority: Maryland Freedom Caucus Slate, James Appel, Treasurer