Baltimore, MD—The Baltimore City Council’s Committee on Legislative Investigations will be hosting an informational hearing on Thursday, February 20th related to major increases on BGE gas and electric bills and their resulting impacts on Baltimore residents and ratepayers.
Background
In 2023, the Public Service Commission approved a new multi-year rate increase for BGE that would spread nearly $400 million in rate increases across three years – in 2024, 2025 and 2026. The result has been massive increases in winter heating and electric bills for Baltimore residents and businesses, with some ratepayers reporting increases of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
That same year, the Baltimore City Council adopted a resolution introduced by then Councilmember Zeke Cohen calling on the PSC to take action to protect Baltimore ratepayers and reject the multi-year rate plan.
Over the past two years, BGE rates have steadily increased for Baltimore City ratepayers. This crisis reached its peak in January of 2025, when the second phase of rate increases were implemented. Community members and business owners across the City have reported sharp increases on their BGE bills, well beyond what they were told to expect by BGE, with some consumers reporting increases of hundreds of dollars in a single month.
Purpose
The Baltimore City Council’s Committee on Legislative Investigations, chaired by Councilmember Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer, is hosting the hearing to gain greater detail about what is driving the rate increases directly from BGE, policy experts and advocates. The hearing will also provide Baltimore ratepayers the opportunity to testify about their experiences and the impacts of BGE’s rate increases on their families and communities.
Statement from Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen
Every day, my colleagues on City Council and I hear from residents who are frustrated and concerned with recent BGE rate increases. These rate increases are not only unsustainable in the long term, but are financially catastrophic for many working families and small businesses in the short term. This hearing gives us an opportunity to better understand the causes and impacts of the rate increases and to gather valuable information that can help us deliver meaningful ratepayer relief.
Statement from Legislative Investigations Chair Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer
The increases that consumers are seeing on their BGE bills are outrageous and not sustainable. Baltimoreans deserve to know how and why this happened, and what can be done to provide real ratepayer relief. The Committee on Legislative Investigations is committed to getting Baltimoreans the answers they deserve, while providing more robust and transparent oversight on behalf of the people of our city.
Who: Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen, The Baltimore City Council Committee on Legislative Investigations, members of the Baltimore City Council, Representatives of Baltimore Gas and Electric, David Lapp on behalf of the Office of the People’s Counsel. What: An informational hearing related to recent increases on BGE bills.
When: Thursday, February 20th, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Where: Baltimore City Hall, 100 Holliday Street, City Council Chambers
Please note: this hearing is open to members of the public, who are invited to testify. Public testimony must be provided in-person. A livestream of the hearing will be provided on CharmTV.