By Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun
During remarks at an offshore wind convention Wednesday in Baltimore, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore shared his administration’s new “ambitious, but achievable” goal for turbines off the state’s coast: 8.5 gigawatts of power.
A spokesman for the Democratic governor said he plans to sign the POWER Act, which would mandate the 8.5-gigawatt goal be realized by 2031 if the General Assembly passes it.
Speaking at the International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum at the Baltimore Convention Center, Moore presented himself as a friendly face in Annapolis for offshore wind developers, drawing a contrast with former Gov. Larry Hogan.
“My predecessor took a middle path on this,” Moore said, “making some investments in offshore wind, but not enough to get us to where we need to be. I want to be very clear on this: It has been a long time since I’ve been comfortable being a ‘C’ student. I don’t want Maryland just to get by with passing grades.”
Hogan, the second two-term Republican governor in state history, was criticized for toeing the line on climate policy. Hogan spoke of the need for Maryland to address climate change but vetoed clean energy bills enacted by the legislature, or allowed them to become law without his signature to voice opposition, often citing costs to consumers.
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