Maryland lawmakers and environmental advocates were pretty bummed out after Governor Wes Moore decided to veto a bunch of climate and environmental study bills. They felt like he was breaking his promises on climate change and having some serious communication issues with his fellow party members in the legislature. Like, vetoing more bills in one day than he had in the past two years combined? That’s a lot.
The bills that got the boot were all about studying climate costs, energy reliability, data center impacts, and racial reparations. People were left wondering if Moore was still on their team when it came to fighting for climate and racial justice. They were also questioning if he was putting saving money now over making big changes for the future.
One of the bills Moore nixed was the RENEW Act of 2025, which would have looked at how much money greenhouse gas emissions were costing and reported back by 2026. The bill was seen as a way to start holding fossil fuel companies accountable for the damage they do to the climate. The cost of the study was around $500,000, which would come from a fund that had grown to over $300 million in recent years.
Moore also said no to the Data Center Impact Analysis and Report bill, which would have studied the environmental and economic effects of data centers expanding across Maryland. This was supposed to help make decisions on where to put these power-hungry facilities. Moore said the reason for the vetoes was because the reports would just sit on shelves and cost too much money for the state.
Another bill on the chopping block was the Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act, which would have set up an office to plan for Maryland’s energy future. This veto upset people who thought the state needed to start planning for clean power now. Moore said the cost of this bill would be too high and just pass the costs on to consumers.
Activists and lawmakers were not having it with Moore’s decision to veto these bills. They thought the RENEW Act was a big deal and that the state needed to start taking climate change seriously. They also felt like the governor was missing the mark on how to deal with data centers and energy planning.
The vetoes also included a bill to create a commission on reparations for slavery and racial discrimination. The bill aimed to look at ways to make things right for Black communities affected by past injustices. Moore said there were already enough studies on the legacy of slavery in Maryland and that it was time for action, not more studies.
People are hoping to overturn Moore’s vetoes on the RENEW Act and the reparations bill. They think there’s a good chance they can do it because the bills passed with big majorities before. The legislature has the power to override a veto if most members agree. So, we’ll have to wait and see what happens next.
