Maryland ratepayers paid at least $57 million in 2021 to subsidize dirty energy like trash incineration, the burning of wood waste and debris and so-called biogas captured at landfills, up from about $1 million in 2008, according to figures compiled by the nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
“I would not be surprised if by 2030, Maryland ratepayers will have pumped close to three quarters of a billion dollars of their money into subsidizing dirty energy sources since 2008,” said Timothy Whitehouse, executive director of PEER, which compiles annual estimates of state dollars flowing to dirty trash-to-energy projects. “These subsidies hurt low-income ratepayers the most and harm our battle against climate change.”
