Part 1: BGE’s multi-year rate hike will increase pollution

The drilling and extraction of gas from wells and its transportation in pipelines results in the leakage of methane, the primary component of natural gas.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to planet warming. Burning gas emits carbon dioxide and pollutants that harm our health and planet.

Children living in homes where people cook meals with gas-powered appliances have a 42% greater chance of experiencing asthma symptoms.

A new study from Stanford University has found that cooking with gas stoves can raise the indoor levels of benzene, a carcinogen, above those found in secondhand smoke.

Methane gas infrastructure has been prone to leaks, endangering communities and the environment. A gas pipeline incident occurs somewhere in the U.S. approximately every 40 hours. In fact, we know that more than 2,500 gas pipeline incidents occurred from 2010 to 2021 – and those are just the leaks that were reported to the federal government. The total number is much higher.

Central Marylanders are all too familiar with the potential consequences of gas leaks and accidents, such as the 2019 explosion in Columbia destroyed a shopping center; the 2020 explosion on Labyrinth Road in northeast Baltimore City that leveled three rowhouses, killed two people and injured seven more; or the explosion in Baltimore City’s Pigtown neighborhood  in 2022 that left three critically injured.

The gas utilities have ramped up their infrastructure spending dramatically, and customers will be paying it off for decades to come. But, as customers begin to shift away from gas fewer and fewer will be left to foot the bill, stuck paying high rates for obsolete pipes and equipment. According to the People’s Counsel, without better planning and constrained spending, utilities and their customers could face billions in these stranded costs.