Fair Utility Rates

What's New

In the closing days of the legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly is considering legislation to codify the settlement Gov. O'Malley reached with Constellation Energy. The deal gives each BGE household a $170 credit on their utility bill, but would also stop investigations into the fairness of the 2006 auction that caused a 72% rate increase, and would give regulatory authorities less oversight over Constellation shareholders.

To read the Baltimore Sun's coverage of the settlement, click here.

How You Can Help

Hold Maryland's Electric Utility Accountable

Ask your legislator to sign Maryland PIRG's Fair Utility Rates Pledge to restore accountability to Maryland's electric utility.

Overview

Deregulation of the electricity market has failed. Energy companies promised us more competition and lower rates, but the exact opposite has happened. Maryland ratepayers have seen their rates skyrocket and there is no real competition.

In June, 2007, over 1.2 million Marylanders saw the remainder of a 68 percent rate increase hit their utility bills. A law passed in June 2006 took some good first steps towards fixing the underlying problems caused by deregulation, but much remains to be done to make sure that Marylanders aren’t forced to pay unreasonable rates for their electricity.

State agencies need to have greater oversight of utility decision-making, so that we can be sure that the utilities are acting in the best interests of Maryland consumers, and not just their shareholders. For example, utilities should be saving energy through energy efficiency and conservation, developing long-term energy plans, and investing in clean renewable sources of energy to increase our energy independence.

On the eve of a 50 percent utility rate increase, Maryland PIRG policy advocate Johanna Neumann talks with reporters about the need to restore accountability to our electric system.