Armstrong Williams, part owner of The Baltimore Sun, sat down with Gov. Wes Moore for an in-depth interview last month on a broad variety of issues facing the State of Maryland. Williams pulled no punches and asked the governor directly the hard questions. At one point, Moore responded to his inquiries stating: “I will work with anybody, Democrats or Republicans … what I really would appreciate is a plan.”

The Maryland Freedom Caucus has a plan, governor. We have sent several formal letters to the governor with just what he requested — “a plan.” In January, we sent a letter requesting he immediately get the State of Maryland out of the disastrous California Clean Cars Initiative — still no response from the governor for weeks.

Last month, the Maryland Freedom Caucus, whose membership includes Dels. Matt Morgan (St. Mary’s), Kathy Szeliga (Baltimore County), Ryan Nawrocki (Baltimore County), Lauren Arikan (Harford), Brian Chisholm (Anne Arundel), Mark Fisher (Calvert) and Robin Grammer (Baltimore Co), crafted a detailed four-point plan and held a press conference explaining this comprehensive plan to lower Marylander’s energy costs immediately.

Our four-point energy plan was outlined as follows:

1. Keep power plants open and reopen closed facilities — We called for federal intervention to prevent further shutdowns and reinstate reliable energy sources.

2. Halt EmPOWER fees and pause energy taxes – End the EmPOWER fee and a 60-day moratorium on all state-imposed energy taxes and fees — just like the gas tax pause in 2022. (H.B. 1535, H.B. 1536)

3. Repeal the Climate Solutions Act (2022) — The radical mandate in this law must be repealed (H.B. 1451).

4. Stop the $180 million climate bureaucracy and other costly Green New Deal-style programs.

Additionally, I have submitted the Energy Equality Act of 202 — H.B. 1238. The bill aims to prevent the State of Maryland from banning and discriminating against consumer products, including vehicles, based on the form of energy used to power the devices.

With inflation at an all-time high, now is not the time to force consumers to purchase products that only use electricity. Our grid is stretched to the max. Bills are sky-high. Citizens are angry, rightly so, at the looming threat of rolling blackouts because our state continues to close down local energy production.

Democrats through absurd green energy policies they have rammed through thanks to their super majority have led to the closing of seven power stations since 2012. Brandon Shores is still on the chopping block and while we’ve gotten a temporary stay until 2029, very soon we will lose that energy on our grid, requiring Maryland import more than 80% of our energy from other states, according to estimates from PJM.

Extreme leftist politicians in Maryland shove their collective heads into the sand and claim we’re going green, but make no mistake, we’re importing energy from states that proudly generate energy using coal. They continue to pursue pie-in-the-sky green energy plans that end with Maryland’s rural areas, like Harford, Baltimore and Carroll Counties, being crisscrossed with even more powerlines, so that we can import energy from other states and destroy our rural heritage.

The Maryland Freedom Caucus has provided clear plans for Gov. Moore, just as he requested. We have repeatedly reached out to him and shared these plans. Yet, the governor has refused to respond to a single letter or a single request for a sit-down meeting with him by members of our caucus, even on overtly bipartisan issues like the Key Bridge collapse and rebuilding.

We need the citizens of Maryland to fight back against these destructive policies. We need the community to reach out. Reach out to the governor, tell him it’s time to work across party lines. Tell him about your BGE bills. Tell him how the cost of energy and the cost of living in Maryland is making it harder for your family to justify staying here.

A recent poll by UMBC found that 53% of Marylanders have considered leaving the state. The Maryland Freedom Caucus is committed to making Maryland a state the citizens actually want to live in, and we are calling on the citizens to help make that a reality.

Lauren Arikan (lauren.arikan@house.state.md.us) is a Republican delegate, representing District 7B in Harford County.