Maryland, My Maryland

Capital News Service, Maryland may dip into its climate fund to pay for other things.

Gov. Needs Wes Moore’s budget proposes redirecting funds originally meant for renewable energy initiatives to help patch the nearly $3 billion budget deficit instead.

If passed as Moore proposed, the budget would allow the state to withdraw $150 million from a special fund that invests in renewable energy initiatives and put it to other uses.

“It’s a lot of money, and we’re not thrilled about having that money taken, but we understand the challenges to the budget,” Kristen Harbeson, the political director for the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, told Capital News Service. “As long as this is a one-year, temporary solution … we do need that money for a lot of programs.”

The League of Conservation Voters commended the budget proposal in a statement earlier this month, highlighting funding set aside for environmental programs and climate action. At a Jan. 17 webinar with the group, Eric Gally, president of Gally Public Affairs, an Annapolis lobbying firm, said he was “very pleasantly surprised, I would actually say shocked, at how well our programs are funded.”

Moore’s 2026 budget plan touts an increase in funds for climate pollution reduction. And, in fact, it would double pollution reduction funds from $90 million last year to $180 million. That money would go to renewable energy initiatives that include solar installations on state property, local solar and geothermal projects, geothermal, and methane capture projects, and renewable energy grants for schools.

But his budget plan also proposes to cut general funding for environmental agencies and replace them with money from special funds, said Harbeson, including the Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF).

This is the same special fund that the budget would draw $150 million from for the general fund.

If the budget is passed, the fund balance by the end of fiscal year 2026 would be nearly $340 million. For impacted environmental agencies, millions of dollars would come from other special funds, like the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund and Program Open Space as well as SEIF.

It’s a change that Harbeson says is not sustainable in the long term.

“It’s not great, but it’s okay for one year,” Harbeson said. “This is fine for this year, but this is not a sustainable option.”

Given that most of the environmental plans for the state are shams, akin to the current USAID scandal, I guess I'm not too upset. However, remember, Gov. Hogan (R) lowered taxes and left a $5 billion surplus. Two years later, his successor Gov. Moore (D) is running a $3 billion deficit, and is raising taxes and fees, and looking into accounting gimmicks and environmental projects to break even.