By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews
After a bruising 2025 legislative session, Maryland’s environmental groups are entering 2026 with a different strategy: start early, go on offense, and refuse to be sidelined again.
Climate advocates say they were caught flat-footed last year when lawmakers—under pressure from rising electricity bills and grid reliability warnings—advanced energy legislation that prioritized short-term affordability over aggressive emissions targets. Now, with the General Assembly convening January 14, 2026, those groups are mobilizing months ahead of time to ensure climate policy is back at the center of Maryland’s energy debate.
Whether that effort leads to compromise or another retreat remains an open—and politically charged—question.
What Changed in 2025
The 2025 session marked a clear pivot in Annapolis. With residential electricity rates up roughly 44 percent since 2020, legislative leaders and Gov. Wes Moore focused on bill relief and reliability. The resulting package, led by the Next Generation Energy Act, included rebates for ratepayers, expanded battery storage requirements, and reforms aimed at accommodating surging demand from data centers.
But the bill also expedited permitting for “dispatchable” power—a term that refers to energy sources that can be turned on or off as needed, such as natural gas plants, unlike intermittent solar or wind.
That language alarmed environmental groups. In November 2025, Constellation Energy proposed a new gas-fired power plant in Harford County, citing the new law as justification. The proposal has since faced scrutiny over pipeline capacity and cost estimates reportedly exceeding $800 million.
“We raised concerns that this conflicted with Maryland’s climate commitments,” said Kim Coble, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. “The response we kept hearing was essentially, ‘We just need more power.’ That’s when it became clear climate goals were no longer the priority.”
Budget pressures compounded the shift. With deficits projected in the billions, lawmakers redirected some clean-energy funds toward ratepayer relief—moves advocates say delayed progress toward the state’s Climate Solutions Now Act targets of a 60 percent emissions reduction by 2031 and net-zero by 2045.
The 2026 Plan: Push Early, Defend Hard
Determined not to repeat that experience, climate groups are preparing legislation and messaging well before the session begins.
On offense, advocates are expected to push new solar procurement and battery storage bills, arguing that renewables and efficiency can meet demand faster and more cheaply than fossil fuel projects—especially as federal clean-energy subsidies face uncertainty under the Trump administration.
Del. Lorig Charkoudian has floated ideas for competitive procurement programs that would redirect existing energy funds toward solar deployment rather than new generation tied to fuel infrastructure.
On defense, groups plan to oppose new natural gas plants, protect environmental funds from being tapped for budget gaps, and resist any weakening of existing mandates.
“Climate is going to make a comeback this year in Maryland,” said Brittany Baker, Maryland director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Clean energy, storage, and efficiency aren’t just good for the environment—they’re how we keep costs down and the lights on.”
Conservative Pushback: Costs Still Matter
From a conservative perspective, the renewed push raises concerns about timing and priorities.
Republican lawmakers and business groups generally support cleaner energy where it is cost-effective, but argue that aggressive mandates risk driving prices higher at a moment when households are already stretched.
“We can’t ignore reliability and affordability in pursuit of ideological targets,” House Minority Leader Jason Buckel said during last session’s debate on energy bills. “Marylanders need power that works in real time, not just on paper.”
Critics also warn that opposing all new gas generation could leave the state vulnerable as data center demand accelerates across the PJM grid. They favor an “all-of-the-above” approach—renewables paired with natural gas and nuclear—to maintain baseload power while technology matures.
Where There May Be Common Ground
Despite sharp rhetoric, there are signs of overlap. Gov. Moore’s December 2025 executive order on energy affordability emphasizes “non-wires alternatives,” such as grid technology, efficiency, and demand management—tools that appeal to both climate advocates and cost-conscious moderates.
Senate President Bill Ferguson has acknowledged the tension ahead. “There’s going to be a challenging conversation,” he said recently, “about how aggressive we can be while keeping energy affordable and reliable.”
That conversation will define the 2026 session.
The Question Heading Into January
Climate advocates are betting that early mobilization and tighter messaging will prevent another year of concessions. Right-leaning lawmakers are betting that affordability and reliability concerns will once again temper ambition.
The key question as lawmakers return to Annapolis: Will this early offensive force new compromises—or will Maryland’s climate push again collide with the realities of cost, demand, and the grid?
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