Maryland’s Energy Saving Programs Under Attack by Hogan Administration
May 25, 2016It’s somewhat surprising that we have an Administration that clearly has no energy policy. Although the EmPower Maryland Program has shown a significant return on every dollar invested by ratepayers, and in spite of documented evidence supporting this fact, the Administration calls the EmPower surcharge, which we all pay on our utility bill, a tax. What “tax” have you ever seen that actually gave you a handsome return on your dollar? The average Marylander pays $7-$9 dollars a month to support the program. As a result, because of the substantially lower demand on the electric grid, our utility bills are $21 a month lower than what they would have been without the program.
What really shocks contractors is the failure of the Administration to recognize the thousands of jobs that have been created in the energy industry across the state. Without an energy program, these skilled jobs will be lost.
The Governor who promised to bring jobs back to Maryland wants to destroy one of the few beneficial programs that actually saves energy, saves us money and creates jobs.
I have provided two links which will more thoroughly explain this ludicrous policy and the harm that it will be to all of us. They are somewhat lengthy, but worth reading. We all need to spend more of our time trying to understand how screwed up our government is if we want to see a positive change that benefits us, not the politicians.
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/deron-lovaas/energy-efficiency-under-attack-maryland
Michael
