Maryland: 84,000 at Risk of Electricity Shut-Off
March 7th, 2009Via: Baltimore Sun:
Nearly 84,000 households with delinquent utility bills could see their power shut off by Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. starting next month, when restrictions meant to protect customers during cold winter months end, the state’s top energy regulator warned.
Douglas Nazarian, chairman of the state’s Public Service Commission called the situation facing consumers a “potential tsunami,” as many residents have seen their utility bills rise, and in some cases double. In all of last year, about 36,000 BGE customers had their service terminated.
“April will be a disaster if we don’t start looking into this,” Nazarian said. “The problem is going to grow.”
The staggering number of residents struggling to pay utility bills has stoked calls for a moratorium on utility shut-offs. The PSC is weighing the idea, though officials caution that while such a step might help people in the short-term it would allow past-due debts owed to the utilities to mount and could diminish incentive for customers to pay.
