The Maryland Court of Special Appeals denied an appeal Friday from Baltimore Gas and Electric that would have allowed the company to launch a public advertising campaign to inform customers about the rate increase and ways to ease the pain.
The ruling provides more time for Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer to garner enough support to join Baltimore?s lawsuit against BGE?s pending energy rate increase.
Moyer is pushing forth a resolution to support the city in its lawsuit.
The resolution must be approved by the city council, and procedure requires two votes on the measure on two separate days unless the council unanimously votes to bypass the rules.
“As we look to conserve energy, we don?t expect to get hit with another increase in rates,” Moyer said. “There are an awful lot of questions in this suit, and we shouldn?t have to go to court to get them.”
If Annapolis joined the suit, it would be the first jurisdiction to do so in the BGE service area.
Moyer said city leaders continue to find ways to reduce electricity and natural gas costs, but said the city already had seen its energy expenses triple in the last budget year.
She said the costs to the city of joining the suit would be minimal.
Baltimore City filed the suit in an attempt to curtail the rate increases set to take effect July 1. BGE?s proposed deferral plan would allow customers to phase in the 72 percent increase over three years instead of all at once.
But city officials and top state lawmakers have questioned the need for the rate hikes, and have asked for more information about the value of plants and other capital assets of BGE?s parent company Constellation Energy Group.
