Senator Mike McKay’s July 2026 District Newsletter: a look back at the 2026 Cigars & Steam fundraiser aboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, the 90 Day Report presented to Hancock, more than $2.3 million delivered to Western Maryland this spring, and McKay’s Baltimore Sun op-ed on Maryland’s energy supply.
Senator Mike McKay’s July 2026 District Newsletter: a look back at the 2026 Cigars & Steam fundraiser aboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, the 90 Day Report presented to Hancock, more than $2.3 million delivered to Western Maryland this spring, and McKay’s Baltimore Sun op-ed on Maryland’s energy supply.
The following is Senator Mike McKay’s July 2026 District Newsletter, sent to subscribers on July 16, 2026.
Thank you to all of my supporters. Our 2026 Cigars & Steam Fundraiser was a huge success!
Thank you to everyone who joined us aboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad for our 2026 Cigars & Steam fundraiser. It was a fantastic evening traveling through the beautiful mountains of Western Maryland while enjoying great conversation, fellowship, and support from friends across Appalachia and beyond.
I am grateful to the sponsors, volunteers, supporters, and the dedicated team at the railroad who helped make this event such a success. The turnout (217 riders) and enthusiasm were a reminder of how much people care about the future of our communities and the importance of strong representation in Annapolis.
Together, we will continue fighting for the values and priorities of Allegany, Garrett, and Washington Counties. Thank you for your continued support and friendship.
Senator Mike McKay
Allegany, Garrett and Washington Counties — Serving Appalachia Maryland
It was my privilege to present my book, 90 Day Report – 2026 Maryland General Assembly, to the Mayor and Town Council of Hancock.
This report was created to provide transparency and accountability to the citizens of District 1 by highlighting legislation, funding initiatives, and key issues addressed during the 2026 Legislative Session. I believe the people we serve deserve to know not only what happened in Annapolis, but how it impacts our communities here in Western Maryland.
Thank you to the Mayor and members of the Hancock Town Council for the opportunity to share this work and discuss the priorities that continue to shape the future of our region.
For those interested in reading an electronic version of the book, it is available at mikemckaymd.com.
Senator Mike McKay delivered more than $450,000 in state funding for four Western Maryland projects today—putting new lights on a Cresaptown ball field, fixing up parks in Barton and Williamsport, and adding nearly 200 acres to Wills Mountain State Park.
For the second time in six weeks, the Board of Public Works has approved a slate of Western Maryland projects championed by Senator Mike McKay — this time nearly $2 million spread across all three counties he represents: Garrett, Washington, and Allegany.
You can find more information for the BPW Agenda by clicking here.
I was grateful for Senator Ted Cruz’s inspirational words at the National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL) and the opportunity to share perspectives from Maryland on the challenges and opportunities facing working families, small businesses, and rural communities.
The Maryland Fire Rescue Services Memorial is a tribute to the men and women who have lost their lives in the performance of their duties.
Delegate Stuart Schmidt and I were honored to represent the Maryland General Assembly at this year’s ceremony, Saturday June 7th, which honored the addition of ten names to the Fallen Heroes wall.
Maryland has seen several serious traffic incidents this spring, including the tragic deaths of three workers on Maryland state highways and the heartbreaking loss of several young people in our community.
These tragedies are a reminder that safe driving is not optional. Please move over and slow down when approaching roadway workers, emergency responders, and disabled vehicles.
McKay, Mike. The Baltimore Sun; Baltimore, Md. 19 May 2026.
Maryland imports nearly 46% of the electricity it uses.
Nearly half of the power keeping Maryland homes warm in winter, cool in summer and businesses operating every day comes from outside our borders. At a time when electricity demand is soaring and utility bills are climbing faster than family budgets can keep up, that statistic should serve as a flashing warning sign for every Marylander. Simply put, we need more generation and power supply in Maryland to make prices more affordable here.
Last week, PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator responsible for coordinating electricity across Maryland and 12 other states, held its annual meeting in Baltimore. Protesters and activists demanded more renewable energy generation and fewer fossil fuel plants. But before slogans dominate the conversation, Maryland families deserve a more honest discussion about why their electric bills keep rising.
The reality is simple: Maryland does not generate enough reliable electricity to meet its own needs.
In fact, PJM recently stated that approximately 53 gigawatts of mostly renewable generation projects are expected to come online across its regional grid in the coming years. Yet only 1.6 gigawatts of that planned generation is located in Maryland.
That disparity should concern every policymaker in Annapolis.
Maryland is aggressively increasing demand for electricity while failing to meaningfully expand in-state generation capacity. We are becoming more dependent on imported electricity at the exact moment reliability concerns and market volatility are driving prices higher for working families.
Today, Marylanders are facing higher costs, increased dependence on imported power and growing concerns about grid reliability. Electricity rates across PJM states are rising faster than inflation. Families, seniors on fixed incomes and small businesses are paying the price through volatile wholesale markets and capacity auctions that too often reward scarcity instead of encouraging abundant, affordable generation.
Maryland needs more generation capacity. Period.
That means every viable source of power must be on the table: natural gas, nuclear, renewables, battery storage and emerging technologies. Reliable baseload generation cannot simply be wished away before replacement infrastructure exists. Political talking points do not keep the lights on during peak demand or protect families from skyrocketing utility bills.
The lack of meaningful, new generation coming to Maryland underscores the need to cast a much wider net when it comes to energy providers for supply. Maryland should be encouraging every responsible opportunity to increase generation capacity, including giving utilities such as BGE the ability to help generate electricity and invest directly in reliable energy infrastructure.
Utilities are already responsible for keeping the lights on and maintaining reliability for customers. They understand the system, they understand future demand projections and they should be empowered to play a larger role in securing Maryland’s energy future.
Yet during the most recent legislative session, little of substance was accomplished to address Maryland’s growing energy vulnerability.
Instead of creating barriers to generation, Maryland should be accelerating responsible development and modernizing policies that encourage investment by utilities in reliable power production.
Maryland cannot continue outsourcing its energy future while pretending reliability problems will solve themselves. PJM also deserves scrutiny. The organization plays a central role in determining how generation enters the market and how reliability costs are distributed across the region. Consumers deserve transparency and accountability from a system that increasingly feels disconnected from the financial realities facing working families.
PJM deserves accountability for restricting the utility-owned generation needed to lower prices and improve reliability.
The hard truth is this: A state that imports nearly half its electricity has surrendered far too much control over its energy future.
If we want lower costs, greater reliability and long-term energy security, Maryland must stop closing ourselves off from allowing the utilities to compete to provide the power supply we badly need to make prices more affordable. Families do not care whether electricity comes from a red state or a blue state. They care whether they can afford to keep the lights on.
It is time for Maryland to pursue an energy strategy grounded in reality, one that values reliability, affordability and energy independence over politics. This objective starts with needed reforms of PJM to facilitate genuine competition where utilities can provide the badly needed power supply to reduce our electricity costs.
Mike McKay represents District 1 in the Maryland Senate, which includes Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties.
Please update your records with my new Maryland General Assembly Senate email address: mike.mckay@senate.maryland.gov.
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