Moore signs 'strategic action plan' for new offshore wind and power lines, angers lawmaker

MIDDLE RIVER, Md. (WBFF) — A Maryland lawmaker is urging stronger federal and state regulations on electricity transmission projects, as the governor announces participation in a newly launched multi-state compact aimed at reducing rules and barriers for new offshore wind generation and power line infrastructure.

State Del. Ryan Nawrocki, R-Baltimore County, told Spotlight on Maryland during a walk through his district in Middle River, Md., that the lack of meaningful energy regulations is prompting several power line proposals generating widespread public outcry.

[Maryland] is not only a transmission corridor for Virginia, but it seems to be a transmission corridor for our region right now because we import so much power,” Del. Nawrocki said.

Del. Nawrocki and a bipartisan group of state lawmakers have spent several months advocating for reforms in local energy policy. They have been pushing for laws that require utilities to prioritize public benefits over the profits of energy companies, potential eminent domain seizures, and new power line projects.

The lawmaker has been a vocal opponent of the Brandon Shores and H.A. Wagner Power Plants closures in Anne Arundel County. The site is among the few remaining coal-fired electric generation stations in Maryland.

The region’s power grid operator, PJM Interconnection, approved BGE’s bid to construct the Tri-County Transmission Update Project to compensate for the plant’s closure.

Although the BGE power line proposal before the Maryland Public Service Commission runs in existing rights-of-way, Del. Nawrocki said that the purpose behind the development mirrors his concerns about the 70-mile greenfield Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP).

“I believe that neither of these projects benefits the state of Maryland in any way,” Del. Nawrocki said. “The Piedmont certainly has zero benefit to the state of Maryland because we are literally running a long extension cord to Pennsylvania, through Maryland, to Virginia.”

“All of those jobs, tax dollars, and all of those sorts of things that benefit the state of Virginia harm Maryland by taking away good agricultural land,” Del. Nawrocki added.

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Del. Nawrocki said that his frustration with the state energy policy intensified late Friday afternoon after Gov. Wes Moore announced Maryland would join eight other Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states in an energy planning compact.

According to the executive summary, the strategic plan aims to provide “a forum for coordinating state efforts to improve transmission system planning across the regions” with the “ultimate objective of providing reliability benefits and cost savings to the regions’ electricity consumers."

Over the next few years (i.e., by the end of 2027), the Plan proposes to remove additional regulatory and technical barriers to the efficient deployment of offshore wind generation and interregional transmission,” the plan’s proposal said.

Meanwhile, Del. Nawrocki told Spotlight on Maryland that he is confused about what appears to be the governor’s disregard for active community-led efforts throughout the state to cancel or reroute power line projects. He also questioned the timing after President Donald Trump announced a pause on offshore wind projects on his first day in office.

“If we keep on having these policies where we are not producing power and the solution is things like solar and wind, that’s really not a solution,” Del. Nawrocki said. “We need to have policies like Virginia, where we are bringing power online and bringing real power online, not fake power ideas like solar and wind, but where we are bringing natural gas plants, nuclear plants online in this state.”

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Spotlight on Maryland sent Gov. Moore’s office several questions following the governor’s announcement about Maryland joining the multi-state strategic plan compact, including:

• Since Maryland is joining the state-led interregional transmission compact, is the governor also officially calling for a pause to the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project until determinations are made?
• Does the governor believe new greenfield transmission projects are needed in Maryland?
• Why is the governor calling for a decrease in utility regulations instead of hearing Marylanders' continued demands for tighter oversight?

Carter Elliott, spokesperson for Gov. Moore, responded by email.

“Gov. Moore works tirelessly to make Maryland more affordable and to bolster the state’s economy, which includes his work to bring down the cost of electricity for Maryland residents and businesses,” Elliott wrote. “Part of making electricity less costly is figuring out how to get electricity from power plants to consumers more cheaply and efficiently."

The governor’s spokesperson said that the state must be “smart about where and how we invest in our electric infrastructure,” adding that the process should be transparent and include public input, while focusing on building power grid reliability and resilience.

We can both preserve our land and homes and provide Marylanders with reasonably priced electricity,” Elliott wrote. “To suggest it is an ‘either or’ is a false choice.”

Spotlight on Maryland pressed Elliott on his response, asking, “To be clear, the governor is not calling for a pause to the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project?”

The governor’s office did not respond.

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Del. Nawrocki told Spotlight on Maryland that residents should demand a new direction from the governor and legislative leaders to prevent ongoing battles over power line projects that are likely to continue. The lawmaker said federal intervention might be the only real option.

“We just have a very flawed energy policy overall in this state,” Del. Nawrocki said.

When asked if Maryland serves as an electricity corridor for neighboring states, Jeffrey Shields, PJM’s spokesperson, wrote Spotlight on Maryland in an email on Friday that the regional need for new energy infrastructure will persist to address the federal government’s priority of dominating the artificial intelligence sector.

Maryland is part of a regional transmission system and is no more a corridor for electricity transmission than any other state,” Shields said. “[G]iven the fact that Maryland imports 40% of its energy, you could argue that other states are acting as transmission corridors to deliver electricity to Maryland.”

“No one will try to argue that Maryland doesn’t need new electricity infrastructure, both generation and transmission infrastructure; the only question is where to build it,” Shields added.

Shields did not respond on Friday to Spotlight on Maryland’s question about how much the MPRP will benefit from generation shortages in Maryland versus bypassing the state to address Virginia’s commercial needs.

Follow Gary Collins with Spotlight on Maryland on X. Do you have news tips on this story or others? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com.

Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.