The battle between the Maryland General Assembly and Constellation Energy is going down to the wire.
Three days before the end of this year?s legislative session, the distance between the Assembly and the energy company is narrowing.
At stake is how high the Assembly will allow Constellation subsidiary Baltimore Gas and Electric to raise it rates for the majority of its customers in the Greater Baltimore Region.
At a press conference Friday afternoon, Gov. Robert Ehrlich said both sides were working toward a resolution and had a productive meeting.
“We made significant progress,” Ehrlich said.
No matter the outcome of the negotiations, Ehrlich also said he would veto the bills affecting BGE. He said whether the Assembly would attempt to override his veto is part of the ongoing negotiations.
“There is no reason we cannot get this done,” Ehrlich said.
Ehrlich added that the Assembly should be prepared to stay throughout the weekend to iron out a deal.
After the state Senate adjourned Friday, its president, Mike Miller, said the rate increase BGE had been asking for had fallen significantly.
“The first year [rate increase] would be from 15 to 18 percent,” Miller said.
Miller said the second year would be about the same and the entire rate hike would take 10 years to come to fruition.
Even so, Miller said there were legislators who still might not be satisfied.
BGE is “cautiously optimistic” about the negotiations, said Robert. L. Gould, a spokesman for Constellation.
Although the numbers being considered in the new proposals were different than those BGE had originally offered, Gould said the “mechanics” of the proposals were the same. He declined to elaborate.
While BGE has already raised the rates of customers using its budget plan, the utility planned a 72 percent hike in July before legislators interceded.
