Maryland’s New Plan: Tax “Clean Energy” to Tell You It’s Affordable
If electric vehicles and renewable energy are truly affordable, why does Maryland want to tax them to fund advertising campaigns that say so?
That’s exactly what a new bill in the Maryland State Senate would do. Introduced on February 6 by Democratic State Senator Kevin Harris, the proposal creates three new “affordability funds” for solar panels, energy storage, and zero-emission vehicles, funded by new fees on those same products.
The Daily Caller reports,
“The sales of solar photovoltaic modules would be surcharged at $0.02 per watt of generating capacity. Energy storage systems have a fee of $5 per kilowatt-hour of storage capacity. All zero emission vehicles come with a flat fee of $200 per vehicle. The bill would create an advisory council for each fund. The councils’ responsibilities include directing fund revenue for research, communication, marketing, and educational campaigns aligned with the state’s clean energy goals. The council will also “combat misinformation” related to the three technologies and emphasize their affordability.”
All of this comes as the electric vehicle market struggles nationwide. Ford Motor Company recently reported an $11.1 billion loss in the fourth quarter of 2025, citing weaker-than-expected EV demand. Instead of listening to consumers, Maryland lawmakers want to tax them and then spend that money to convince them that everything is “affordable.” That’s not energy policy. It’s government-funded marketing for an agenda the market isn’t buying.
February 19, 2026