Marylanders are feeling the strain of rising energy bills, and their frustration is understandable as inflation continues to push everyday costs higher. As the president and CEO of BGE, I take seriously the concerns of the households and businesses we serve.
But we cannot solve a complex challenge by oversimplifying it. Recent commentary has pointed almost exclusively at distribution rates as the culprit behind higher bills (“High energy bills: Exelon is part of the problem, not the solution,” Jan. 26). That narrative may generate headlines, but it ignores both facts and context — and does little to help customers who deserve real solutions.
Distribution costs matter, but they exist for a reason: Customers deserve safe and reliable service. Our investments are reviewed and approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission and are delivering results. BGE is ranked as the fourth-most-reliable utility in the nation — a point missing from our critics’ claims. During one of the most severe winter storms in a decade, outages remained minimal because of those very infrastructure upgrades. Some have chosen to criticize these investments publicly rather than engage directly with us to understand what goes into an energy bill or to work through solutions. That may be an effective media strategy, but it does nothing to lower costs for Marylanders.
The truth is that tight energy supply — not distribution charges — is placing real upward pressure on customer bills. Prices continue to hit historic highs due to retiring power plants and surging demand from data centers across the state. Those supply costs flow directly to customers, and utilities do not control them.
What public utilities can do is help customers navigate these pressures. BGE’s $17.5 million Customer Relief Fund has already provided bill relief to tens of thousands of customers. BGE spends countless hours holding events throughout our customer communities to offer billing education and assistance. We’re also advocating for smart solutions, including adding in-state generation to increase supply and stabilize costs over time.
We share the goal of making energy more affordable. But Marylanders deserve more than rhetoric and finger-pointing. They deserve a clear-eyed understanding of what’s driving costs — and a commitment to real, lasting solutions. That’s what we’re focused on delivering every day.
— Tamla Olivier, Baltimore
The letter writer is the president and CEO of BGE.
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