RELEASE: BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT ZEKE COHEN TO MAKE SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING BGE AT DISTRICT WALK
Council President Cohen and Councilmember Glover will be joined by their City Council colleagues on City Council for a community walk in the Berea neighborhood to hear directly from residents about the impact of rising BGE bills.
Baltimore, MD— On March 27th, Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen and members of the City Council will join a district walk hosted by Councilman Antonio “Tony” Glover of the 13th District. The walk will give members of the City Council an opportunity to hear directly from residents about their experiences with high BGE bills, and give those residents an opportunity to engage directly with residents about actions they can take to hold BGE and the Public Service Commission accountable.
In 2023, Baltimore Gas and Electric asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to approve more than $600 million in rate increases spread across three years from 2024-2026.
The Baltimore City Council took action to speak against multi-year rate plans and passed a resolution introduced by then-Councilmember Zeke Cohen calling on the Public Service Commission to deny BGE’s rate requests. Ultimately, the Public Service Commission approved more than $400 million in rate increases spread across 2024, 2025, 2026.
As those rates began to phase in, Baltimore rate payers were hit with increases on their bills far greater than what they had been told to expect. Baltimore residents have reported massive increases on their bills, mostly driven by distribution charges – what BGE charges customers for delivering energy to their homes or businesses.
This crisis peaked in January of 2025 when the second phase of rate increases took effect. Community members and business owners across the City have reported sharp increases in their BGE bills, with some consumers reporting increases of hundreds of dollars in a single month.
To address constituents’ concerns, the Baltimore City Council’s Committee on Legislative Investigations hosted an informational hearing on February 20th related to significant increases on BGE gas and electric bills and their resulting impacts on Baltimore residents and ratepayers.
Those residents shared shocking stories with the City Council that highlighted the depth of the crisis:
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A young family struggling to make ends meet who were hit with a $1,400 BGE bill for a single month.
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Seniors who were forced to choose between oxygen or medication and their utility bill.
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Small businesses prevented from investing in their workforce by BGE bills that have doubled.
With BGE rates expected to again rise this summer, the Baltimore City Council is taking action to protect residents and ratepayers from future rate increases. At tomorrow’s district walk, members of the City Council will hear directly from residents about the impacts of rising BGE bills.
The Councilmembers will also launch a postcard campaign to allow Baltimore residents to contact the Public Service Commission and BGE directly to demand rate relief. Members of the public can also sign an accompanying petition online on Change.org.
Statement from Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen
For months, the people of Baltimore have shared the tremendous pain that BGE’s multi-year rate increases have caused their families, communities and businesses. Instead of providing meaningful rate relief, BGE has fought tooth and nail to protect their profits at the expense of our residents.
Baltimoreans are struggling with rising costs across the board – they shouldn’t be forced to make impossible decisions between life-saving medications and electricity, or between putting food on the table for their families and keeping the lights on for another month.
When the City Council held a hearing with BGE last month, they announced that they were extending shutoff protections through the end of March. It is almost April, and these protections are about to expire. The PSC needs to act urgently protect our residents from predatory deposits and excessive reconnection fees. And that’s why today, it’s more important than ever that we’re going door to door and helping residents to apply for energy assistance through OHEP.
Our residents deserve to have their voices heard, and the Public Service Commission and BGE need to hear directly from them about the pain these rate increases have caused. That’s why our City Council is launching a new public engagement campaign to speak directly with community members about their BGE rates – and share their stories with the Public Service Commission and BGE.
I’m grateful that our partners in Annapolis took action yesterday to advance expanded provisions of the Ratepayer Protection Act to put meaningful guardrails on utility bills. We must continue working to deliver rate relief to our residents as quickly as possible.
Who: Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen, Councilman Antonio “Tony” Glover, members of the Baltimore City Council, advocates, and community members.
What: A community walk to offer BGE-related resources to help fund and pay bills.
When: Thursday, March 27, 2025, 5:00 PM
Where: 1400 Edison Highway, Baltimore MD 21213
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