By DAN McHUGH

Over the past 25 years – both in Maryland and across the United States – we have witnessed the decline of traditional energy in places where power plants have been “retired”.

In Maryland, 16 coal-fired units have shuttered since 2012, representing 3,866 megawatts of electricity, according to the industry tracker Global Energy Monitor.

Experts say the trend is fueled by the emergence of cheap natural gas and increasing competition from renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed the “Power Act” in 2023 to make Maryland the “Wind Capital” of the United States, paving the way for the Offshore Wind project on the lower Eastern Shore with U.S. Wind, which included Worcester County, Ocean City, Sussex County, D.E. and Bethany Beach, D.E.

In 2024, Moore signed MD 2024 Senate Bill (SB) 1, a 34-page regulatory bill that has killed competition for consumers of energy in the state. Additionally, legislation has been passed for the sake of “expanding solar capabilities,” which has led to the decimation of large swaths of the state’s agricultural land.

By mid-2025, energy rates had increased by as much as 1,000% in parts of the state since Jan. 2023.

With AI and Data Centers on the horizon, and the State facing potential blackouts,  what’s been proposed by energy experts is an increase in focus on Nuclear Power.

The answer is not destroying a large chunk of the States farmland with solar panels, token rebates of $40.00, funding endless studies on climate change, or punishing the CEO of energy companies.

Maryland cannot leave the PJM Grid, a proposition currently being floated and which has garnered media attention in the past month; already, Maryland is importing 40% of its energy from other States.

Maryland desperately needs a course correction on the current state of energy policies; this is a situation causing Marylanders to pay excessive amounts of money for monthly energy bills, and must be addressed as soon as possible.

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Danny Conservative Show

Feb. 17, 2026