BALTIMORE — For Republican lawmakers in Maryland, finding compromises with Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed solutions to the state’s $3 billion budget deficit — while maintaining firm opposition to tax increases — is a top priority.

Though Moore, a Democrat, has pointed to increased spending under former Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration as a key factor in the state’s fiscal crisis, Republicans are arguing that policies enacted by the majority Democratic legislature are significant contributors to Maryland’s budget woes.

At the outset of this year’s General Assembly session, Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, who represents Kent, Queen Anne’s, Cecil and Caroline counties, said Republicans knew some policies would have “unintended consequences.”

“We knew that there were unfunded mandates. We knew that the state couldn’t afford it. We knew that the counties couldn’t afford it, and yet they proceeded with them anyways,” he said during a news conference on the legislature’s opening day last week. “We do stand ready to work with them.”

Hershey, who expressed early optimism about finding a solution to balance the state’s budget without tax increases, said Wednesday that Moore’s efforts to close the $3 billion deficit in his proposed $67.3 billion budget appeared “encouraging,” though proposed tax increases to higher-income individuals could negatively impact small businesses.

Energy generation and climate policies are also priorities for the state’s Republicans.

Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready, who represents Frederick and Carroll counties, last week criticized the Climate Solutions Now Act, legislation passed in 2022 to accelerate the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals. He said Republicans are planning to introduce legislation to add provisions to it to reduce its cost.

At the same time, Ready emphasized the importance of economic sustainability in future energy policies.

“While none of us is against renewable energies and doing what we’re doing to try to stimulate solar energy and other things, the fact is, we can’t just keep worshiping the sun and the wind in Maryland,” Ready said. “We’ve got to get back to things that are clean, like natural gas and nuclear, but that actually will work [and] are sustainable and affordable.”

In Sen. Mary Beth Carozza’s district, which includes Somerset, Worcester and Wicomico counties, opposition has long been mounting against a wind farm off the shoreline of Ocean City.

Last year, the town of Ocean City filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management violated federal law when it approved the construction plan for U.S. Wind’s project in the Atlantic.

In an interview Wednesday, Carozza said she plans to introduce legislation to have the Public Service Commission conduct a cost-benefit analysis of offshore wind generation compared to other energy sources.

“Whenever we have conversations about Maryland’s energy challenges, reliability is at the top of the list,” she said. “Well, now we’re talking about a source that is intermittent energy generation, which raises questions about reliability and … the cost of making up the difference.”

Carozza also wants to ensure new policy initiatives and implementation of previous mandates like the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, for instance, don’t disproportionately impact her rural district.

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