Maryland
Gas prices surge in Maryland, provoking debate on what to do about it
Author Stephanie Fowler talks about her new book, ‘Into the Night’
Author Stephanie Fowler has released her third book “Into the Night”. It’s a true crime work on the 1968 double homicide at the Wicomico County jail.
Gas prices are surging in Maryland, and state officials are beginning to weigh in on a potential gas tax suspension.
The price jump occured after the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran beginning on Feb. 28, 2026.
Average gasoline prices in Maryland have risen 25.2 cents per gallon within the last week, now averaging $3.86/g, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 2,167 stations in the state.
Prices in Maryland are 87.7 cents per gallon higher than one month ago, and stand 85.1 cents per gallon higher than one year ago, GasBuddy shared.
As of March 25, gas prices in Salisbury are between $3.73/g and $3.99/g. The current lowest reported cost, $3.73/g, was found at Sam’s Club at 2700 North Salisbury Boulevard.
“Gas prices continued to rise nationwide over the last week as seasonal factors, combined with ongoing supply concerns tied to the continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, pushed both gasoline and diesel prices sharply higher,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said.
“It now appears increasingly likely that the national average price of gasoline will reach the $4-per-gallon mark — potentially as early as this week — for the first time since 2022, while diesel prices are surging to multi-year highs, with some markets nearing record territory,” De Haan continued.
Gas price averages in Maryland over the last five years
Here’s a closer look at the historical gasoline prices in Maryland and the national average within the last five years, according to GasBuddy:
- March 23, 2025: $3.00/g (U.S. Average: $3.08/g)
- March 23, 2024: $3.56/g (U.S. Average: $3.53/g)
- March 23, 2023: $3.26/g (U.S. Average: $3.42/g)
- March 23, 2022: $3.79/g (U.S. Average: $4.23/g)
- March 23, 2021: $2.84/g (U.S. Average: $2.86/g)
Will Maryland suspend its gas tax? Officials weigh in
Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for Maryland Govenor Wes Moore, weighed in on the state’s potential gas tax suspension:
“Marylanders need real relief, not a 30-day gas tax suspension that would blow a $100 million hole in our transportation budget at the same time we’re working to close Maryland’s budget shortfall. If Maryland Republicans are serious about lowering costs, they should pick up the phone and call Donald Trump and tell him to end this missionless war — instead of asking Maryland taxpayers to help pay for it.
“This war is costing more than a billion dollars a day and driving up the price of oil, fuel, and everyday goods. The best way to bring prices down is to address the source of the pain, not shift the cost of Donald Trump’s war onto Maryland families.”
Nicole Beus Harris, Chairwoman of the Maryland Republican Party, shared her thoughts next with Delmarva Now:
“We know Wes Moore thinks about the White House 24/7, but his responsibility, just like Republicans in the General Assembly, is to make state policy. A temporary pause of the state gas tax is a commonsense solution to this temporary crisis, but we’ll never see meaningful tax relief under this Governor.”
Are other states suspending their gas tax to cut prices?
As of March 2026, Georgia has become the first and only state to temporarily suspend its gas tax.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, suspended the state’s motor fuel tax for 60 days on March 20. The excise tax on gasoline is currently 33.3 cents per gallon, and a few cents higher on diesel, USA Today reported.
Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
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Maryland schools rank 3rd in nation in post-pandemic reading recovery – WTOP News
Maryland schools made nation-leading strides in their recovery from students’ learning loss in the pandemic, data show.
Maryland schools made nation-leading strides in their recovery from students’ learning loss in the pandemic, according to new data.
They ranked third in the nation in their students’ reading recovery rates, and were fifth in math recovery, according to the 2025 Education Scorecard from Harvard and Stanford Universities and Dartmouth College.
D.C. led the U.S. in math and reading recovery.
The data was presented at the Maryland State Board of Education meeting Thursday.
Trish Brennan-Gac, executive director of literacy nonprofit Maryland READS, said the state board is correct to celebrate gains in reading, but proficiency is “nowhere near where we need to be.”
“It is not that we are No. 3-ranked in reading proficiency,” she told WTOP. “It’s a rate of change, and we are making a faster rate of change,” than most school districts nationally.
Brennan-Gac was at the meeting to ask that the state board consider ways to reduce the use of technology in classroom instruction and support a return to print and textbooks in schools.
“This is no longer a fringe concern. It is a growing movement, and it’s not about social media and phones,” she told the board.
Brennan-Gac said the board and Maryland schools superintendent Carey Wright can take a “visible meaningful leadership role.”
“You can develop transition guidance and funding pathways for districts that are ready to move now, and send a clear signal to the field that Maryland prioritizes developmentally appropriate instruction aligned to brain research that shows how books, not tech-based platforms, are effective in wiring kids’ brains for reading,” she said.
The Maryland State Department of Education has issued guidance to school districts on the use of cellphones in schools, and this year issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence. In both instances, the state has made clear that it leaves implementation of policies to individual school districts.
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