Pirate's Cove

This is rather unexpected, especially since Wes Moore is a Democrat

Moore Vetoes Key Maryland Climate Studies, Reversing Course on Environmental Justice Commitments

Maryland legislators and environmental advocates expressed dismay after Gov. Wes Moore vetoed a series of widely supported climate and environmental study bills last week, actions they believe not only mark a sharp departure from his climate promises, but also reflect a breakdown in communication between the governor and members of his own party in the legislature.

On May 16, Moore vetoed more bills than he had in the past two years combined, including multiple proposals that had passed with strong backing from legislative leadership and key climate coalitions.

The vetoes—affecting studies on climate costs, energy reliability, data center impacts and racial reparations—have left activists and lawmakers questioning whether Moore remains a reliable ally in the fight for climate and racial justice and whether his political calculus may have shifted, placing short-term cost savings above long-term structural reform.

Among the vetoed bills was the Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act of 2025, which would have tasked the comptroller and state agencies with assessing the total cost of greenhouse gas emissions and reporting findings by December 2026. Stripped down from its original version, which proposed financial penalties for fossil fuel companies, the bill was seen as an important step toward documenting climate damages and laying the groundwork for future polluter-pay policies. (snip)

In a letter to the Senate and House leadership, Moore stated budget shortage, agency workload and redundancy as key reasons for the vetoes (of the various bills). “Many of these reports are never read and simply collect dust on shelves,” Moore wrote, calling the expected $1.28 million cost “an unsustainable commitment given the state’s current financial constraints.”

It’s only $1.28 million, as they say, but, the money never really does what it says it does, it just ends up in people’s pockets.

Also vetoed was the Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act, which would have created a Strategic Energy Planning Office within the Public Service Commission to assess long-term electricity reliability, model resource scenarios and recommend planning strategies. It was designed to help Maryland manage increasing energy demands as the state transitions toward clean power. The office would have released a major report every three years, coordinating with state agencies and collecting public input. The veto stalls forward-thinking energy planning, critics said.

An initiative that would have just been yap yap while giving climate cult groups lots of taxpayer cash to make cult recommendations

In a separate letter to Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones, Moore justified his veto of the Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act by citing fiscal constraints and overlaps. He pointed to the estimated annual cost of $4.4 million to $5.3 million, warning it would duplicate efforts and pass costs on to consumers. “This cost would ultimately be passed along to Maryland ratepayers at a time when we are actively working to limit their burden, not add to it,” he wrote.

Well, duplication was the point, so that the money went to friendly NGOs to do nothing.

“This veto is extremely frustrating and simply does not support the state’s climate goals,” said Kim Coble, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. She said the RENEW Act study was a recommendation of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change and was supported by 69 percent of the members of the General Assembly.

Was it supported by the citizens of Maryland?

“Holding fossil fuel companies accountable will take time and legal action,” [Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, a climate advocate and member of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change] noted, and added that Maryland needs to act now because climate harms are accelerating and lives are at stake. She warned that denying communities even the data to affirm their lived experiences undermines trust and preparedness.

Has anyone asked her and the rest on the commission if they have stopped using fossil fuels?