Local Energy and Elected Leaders Hold Energy Solutions Summit

Salisbury, Md. — Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano hosted a forum Thursday focusing on issues of energy affordability and what organizers called “Maryland’s Energy Crisis,” where a panel of elected officials and energy industry representatives discussed challenges and possible solutions.

Leaders spoke about energy policy, reliability and generation during the forum, and heard from members of the public while looking at solutions to rising energy prices in the state.

Maryland State Senator Mary Beth Carozza said the issue was important for the parties to address because of the impact it’s having to people across the state.

“This forum is focused on energy affordability. And so, we know that our constituents are hurting. They’re receiving those high energy bills and looking at that and it’s impacting their family life,” Carozza said.

Local elected officials were critical of current Maryland energy policies and regulations during the forum, which they blamed for the high energy prices facing Maryland residents. While the theme of the event was focusing on every avenue for solutions, several officials also stated their staunch opposition to offshore wind, citing concerns over maintenance and potential impact on tourism.

Panelists from local power and utilities companies, including Delmarva Power, gave their perspective on the state of the industry and thoughts on the future.

Wicomico County resident John Groutt said that while looking for energy solutions is important, he voiced concern that the forum’s panel did not contain representatives from the solar and wind industries.

“There was nobody representing the renewable energies. That was troubling. Very much so. Because of the purpose of the panel, the meeting was supposedly to look for solutions and a whole area of solutions was eliminated,” Groutt said.

While explicit solutions to energy questions aren’t available immediately, Delmarva Power’s Regional President Michael Beal said the company is committed to listening to the community and coming to the table with innovative ideas.

“We all recognize there’s a huge affordability crisis right now that’s unsustainable. So hearing this just reinforces and energizes us to just continue to focus on the solutions,” Beal said.

Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano encouraged citizens to stay engaged with the process and to make their voices heard on topic.

“You as citizens have a really strong voice and you have a great presence. And I know they [the elected leaders] love having you come up and testify,” Giordano said.