Baltimore City Council urges regulators to reject BGE’s proposed $156 million electric rate increase

The Baltimore City Council is urging Maryland utility regulators to reject BGE’s proposed $156 million electric rate increase, arguing customers are already struggling with higher utility costs.

The council adopted a resolution sponsored by Council President Zeke Cohen calling on the Maryland Public Service Commission to deny the request.

If BGE’s proposal is approved in full, the company says the average residential customer’s monthly bill would increase by about $8, or 4.4%. That works out to roughly $100 more per year.

“Rising utility costs have staggering consequences for families and local businesses,” Cohen said. “Baltimore’s families and small businesses cannot absorb another $156 million expense to pay BGE’s investors.”

The resolution does not block the proposed increase. The Public Service Commission has authority over utility rates and is expected to decide in January 2027.

BGE said it has already scaled back its proposed investment strategy and argues the remaining work is necessary to maintain the electric system.

“We know every dollar matters to families already struggling with higher costs in many areas of their lives, which is why we dramatically scaled back our proposed investment strategy to include only the work we believe is necessary to keep the lights on for BGE customers,” the company said in a statement.

BGE said delaying that work could lead to more outages and higher costs in the future.

The company also argues that rising electricity supply costs, which BGE says it does not control, have had a larger impact on customer bills in recent years than increases in its distribution rates. BGE says the proposed increase associated with its return on equity would amount to less than $1 per month for an average residential customer.

The council’s resolution follows months of opposition to rising utility costs from residents, community groups and consumer advocates.

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