Baltimore Residents Oppose BGE's $156 Million Rate Increase at First Hearing on October 26; Arrears Top $200 Million
Baltimore, Maryland — The Maryland Public Service Commission held the first public hearing on October 26 on Baltimore Gas and Electric's (BGE) proposed $156 million rate increase, where Baltimore officials and residents spoke in opposition, saying the increase would deepen an already severe affordability crisis. If approved in full, the proposal would raise electric distribution rates by about 17% and add roughly $8 a month to the average residential customer's combined gas and electric bill; the commission is scheduled to decide in January 2027. Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen urged the commission to deny the increase and limit the company's shareholder returns, saying the company has made more than $1 billion in profits while families struggle to pay bills. State figures project BGE residential customers' overdue bills will reach $204 million by next June — more than twice the pandemic-era level and five times the pre-pandemic level — and a Johns Hopkins University study found that more than half of Baltimore households with children missed a utility payment in the past year. Baltimore resident and small-business owner Shonna Watkins told the hearing that people are being forced to choose between utility service, groceries, rent and other basic needs. Two more hearings will follow, and whether the increase is approved rests with the commission's final decision.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：马里兰州巴尔的摩市市景（资料图）。Matthew Binebrink 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons / Photo: Baltimore, Maryland (file photo). By Matthew Binebrink, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
