So in the People's Republic of Maryland, 'energy policy' means

this kind of idiocy and corruption.
While myriad factors affect the price of energy, the governor’s radical environmental policies have undoubtedly contributed to its escalating expense. By 2020, O’Malley wants 18 percent of the state’s energy to be supplied from green sources, even though natural gas is at least 37 percent cheaper an energy source than onshore wind, and solar energy is at least 98 percent more expensive than conventional coal. Working toward this goal, the governor has backed several green policies, despite their impact on electricity prices.

An offshore-wind project that the Maryland legislature supported earlier this year would be among the most expensive to date. Taxpayers would fund the project, coughing up $1.73 billion in direct subsidies over the next two decades. Then they’d be forced to buy whatever wind energy the project manages to produce, at a premium; offshore wind is by far the most expensive energy source, costing at least two and a half times as much as coal or natural gas. The legislation’s fiscal and policy note estimated that offshore wind would add $1.04 billion to utility bills over the next 20 years.

And all the big contributors are being paid off:
That feeds nicely into other state programs, such as EmPOWER Maryland, which seeks to cut per capita electrical consumption by 15 percent by 2015. It allows utility companies to add an “implementation surcharge” to electricity bills. The law also accommodates utility companies at the expense of the consumer, ensuring that they don’t lose profits when energy use decreases. A “decoupling” policy divorces profits from sales. Practically, this creates a baseline guaranteed profit for utilities, and it often forces consumers to pay for electricity even if they didn’t use it.

Want to bet the people in favor of this all whine and bitch about 'crony capitalism'?

So: in the name of 'clean' energy,
Screw people by forcing them to pay subsidies,
Screw people with more-expensive energy,
FORCE them to buy the more-expensive energy,
Use their money to pay off your friends,
and lecture the commoners the whole time about how it's To Save The Earth.  So Shut Up And Pay Up, Peasant.