ANNAPOLIS, MD—The Maryland Freedom Caucus has appealed to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and President Donald J. Trump for immediate federal intervention to prevent potential blackouts and rising electricity costs in Maryland. The plea follows a “Maximum Generation Emergency Alert” issued on June 22 by PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization.
In a follow-up letter sent Monday, the caucus urged Energy Secretary Chris Wright and President Trump to take emergency actions ahead of the planned retirements of two major power plants in the state. The letter cited President Trump’s April 8 Executive Order and Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act as legal bases for the requested interventions.
Specific actions proposed by the caucus include emergency dispatch orders for the Brandon Shores coal plant and the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Station, as well as expedited permitting for natural gas conversions.
“We’re facing a real crisis in Maryland,” said Delegate Mark Fisher, a member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus. “The Maryland Freedom Caucus is offering solutions that lower electricity prices and avert brownouts and blackouts. Governor Moore’s extremist policies are wrecking the economy.”
The Brandon Shores plant, which underwent an $875 million pollution control upgrade in 2019, is slated for retirement due to a settlement with the Sierra Club. Its closure, along with the nearby Wagner plant, would force Maryland to import up to 80% of its electricity by 2028, significantly more than any neighboring state. The caucus warns this would place immense strain on the PJM grid and expose ratepayers to billions in costs and reliability risks.
“We’re not asking for subsidies. We’re asking for common sense,” said Delegate Brian Chisholm. “Keeping our most efficient plants online during peak demand is the fastest and most cost-effective way to protect families and businesses from rolling blackouts and financial ruin.”
The Freedom Caucus’s letter highlighted recent federal interventions in Michigan and Pennsylvania, where the DOE, under Secretary Wright, issued emergency orders to prevent the shutdown of power plants that posed grid reliability risks. Caucus members are pushing for similar decisive action in Maryland.
The full letter sent by the Maryland Freedom Caucus can be viewed here (PDF).
Photo via Pixabay
