As I noted in my article discussing a lawsuit against energy companies asserting they are to blame for heat waves, abundant and inexpensive energy is critical to human health and happiness.
It turns out “clean energy” Maryland is now making this discovery.
Pennsylvania State Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) noted in a Facebook post that surplus electricity from Pennsylvania was sent to Maryland during the peak demand period as temperatures in the region neared 100°F. She attributed the avoidance of a blackout crisis in Maryland to Pennsylvania’s reliable power grid, referring to Maryland as the “neighbor with green energy initiatives.”
Just a friendly note to our “green energy” neighbor – Maryland: You’re welcome. During this heat wave, Maryland consumers demand a lot more energy than it generates. If it was not for Pennsylvania – it would be lights out and air conditioning off.This is another reminder that Maryland should work on supporting (and not shutting down) baseload energy generation rather than require farmers in Southern York County to give up pristine farmland to construct more transmission lines.
So, it looks like Pennsylvania saved Maryland from a Spanish-style blackout. Zero Hedge’s Tyler Durden has a fairly robust assessment of the root cause of Maryland’s energy woes.
At the heart of the crisis is the state’s Democratic leadership, which has masqueraded as efficient managers but are, in reality, far-left climate Marxists. Disastrous “green” policies are plunging the state into yet another crisis.Maryland needs to wake up to the reality that local elections matter. Power bills are spiraling out of control because Democrats in the state are more focused on Marxist-style reparations schemes to fleece taxpayers, overtaxing residents, having margaritas with illegal aliens, diverting public funds to migrants, pushing radical woke agendas, attempting to install condom machines in elementary schools, and advancing degrowth green policies.
How bad are Maryland’s energy policies?. They are ponderous, indeed.
Maryland has set ambitious clean energy goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a more sustainable energy future. Central to these efforts is the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which requires electricity suppliers to source 50% of their power from renewable resources by 2030. Recent updates to the RPS exclude trash incineration from qualifying as renewable, ensuring only zero-emission technologies contribute to the state’s targets.
To further advance its climate commitments, Maryland enacted the Climate Solutions Now Act, aiming for a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2031 and net zero emissions by 2045. The state is also moving toward a Clean Power Standard, which would require all electricity consumed in Maryland to come from clean and renewable sources by 2035. These policies are supported by new laws such as the Abundant, Affordable Clean Energy (AACE) Act and the Renewable Energy Certainty Act (RECA), which streamline renewable energy project development and set aggressive solar energy deployment targets.
Additional measures include updated building energy performance standards to boost efficiency and the integration of many economically destructive environmental justice and labor standards into clean energy projects. Truly, these plans are a recipe for disaster.
Unfortunately for Red States exporting energy, they are connected to the grid of the energy deficient regions ruled by climate cultists. Electricity costs are rising for residents throughout Pennsylvania, with the average household potentially facing an increase of $20 to $30 on their bills. Several Pennsylvania legislators attribute these price hikes to what they describe as poor energy policies enacted in Maryland and neighboring states.
“I think it’s going to become very difficult for people who use PPL, but this is part of a broader issue,” said York County Republican Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill….As a whole, Maryland doesn’t generate enough power to keep the lights on itself. Instead, it’s relying on Pennsylvania and other states in the PJM grid for 40% of its electricity.“Not only are we generating the power and bear the burden of generating power, but we bear the burden of eminent domain taking our land to build these high voltage transmission line projects. We also pay for that infrastructure in PA to get that energy to a place where people are refusing to do the right thing,” Phillips-Hill said. “They’re living in a green energy fantasy land.”
If this sort of state-level experimentation continues, don’t be surprised if Pennsylvania and other Red States take a page from Norway’s playbook.
Norway, historically a major electricity exporter due to its abundant hydropower, is now reconsidering its approach to energy interconnection with other countries, particularly those in Europe. The opening of large interconnectors with the UK and Germany in 2021 led to significant price spikes for Norwegian consumers, especially in southern regions. High electricity prices have become a major political issue, prompting the government to subsidize up to 90% of household bills at times.
The nation is now rejecting any new interconnector proposals before 2029.
Unintended Blue State consequences tend to spread to Red States. This is something to keep in mind when laughing over Blue State woes.
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