The Maryland Public Service Commission held the first of three scheduled public hearings on BGE’s request. 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 if approved in full.

Cohen called on the commission to deny the increase and reduce the return BGE is allowed to earn for shareholders. He said the utility had made more than $1 billion in profits while families struggled to pay their bills, and urged regulators to set limits on further increases.

The affordability concerns are reflected in state figures: BGE residential customers are projected to owe $204 million in overdue bills by June, more than twice the amount owed during the COVID-19 pandemic and five times the pre-pandemic level. A Johns Hopkins University study found that more than half of Baltimore households with children had missed a utility payment in the previous year.

At the hearing, Baltimore resident and small-business owner Shonna Watkins said people were being forced to choose between utility service, groceries, rent and other basic needs. Baltimore County resident Justin Provo also opposed the request, arguing it would not improve customers’ living standards or the company’s productivity.

The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel, which represents utility customers, has recommended that regulators reduce rates by $44 million rather than approve BGE’s increase. Its analysis says the average customer could pay about $100 more annually under the full proposal, and that nearly a quarter of the requested increase is tied to a higher shareholder return.

BGE is seeking to raise its authorized return on equity from 9.5% to 10.4%. The Office of People’s Counsel recommends lowering it to 7.3%. Cohen said that change could save the average customer more than $100 a year.

BGE says the increase is needed to maintain reliable service and points to higher supply costs outside the company’s control. The utility reported net income of $527 million in 2024 and $578 million in 2025. The Office of People’s Counsel says BGE’s distribution rates would be 58% higher than in 2020 and 129% higher than when Exelon acquired the utility in 2012.

The filing also includes a proposed $9 monthly conduit surcharge for Baltimore City customers. The commission recently ended a pilot program for multi-year rate plans after finding it had not delivered promised benefits, though such plans remain under consideration for further study.

The remaining public hearings are scheduled for Nov. 4 and Nov. 18. Residents must register to speak by Nov. 2 or Nov. 16, depending on the hearing, and may submit written comments through Dec. 23. Submissions must reference Case No. 9888. The commission is expected to rule in January 2027.