Opponents of Maryland’s new energy policies are mobilizing to repeal legislation that hasn’t even gotten over the finish line.
A group called the Maryland Environment, Labor and Industry Coalition filed paperwork last week to start collecting signatures for a referendum to repeal the “Next Generation Act,” a priority of Democratic leadership that Democratic Gov. Wes Moore is expected to — but has not yet — signed into law.
The group’s political and financial supporters remain unclear. Doug Gansler, the Democratic attorney general for Maryland until 2015, is providing legal services for the group, according to Maryland Matters, which first reported on the repeal effort.
The “Next Generation Act” is a sprawling omnibus package of electricity policies pushed by Democratic leaders in the House and Senate in response to spiking electricity costs. Its headline policies include an expedited pathway for building a new gas-fired power plant, rebates for residential electric bills and new programs to support nuclear power.
