Former BGE employees challenge proposed rate hikes in petition alleging mismanagement, fraud

Baltimore: Fourteen former employees of Baltimore Gas and Electric are stepping up to challenge the company’s proposed rate hikes. They’re saying BGE is wasting money and unfairly passing those costs onto customers.

BGE, which is part of Exelon, has to prove to the Maryland Public Service Commission that it’s been managing its projects wisely. This is all part of a plan to increase rates over several years.

One of the petitioners, represented by attorney David Manuel Baña, pointed out a specific incident from 2023. An employee was logging hours spent on his boat as if he were doing gas inspections.

They claim this worker didn’t do proper inspections and submitted false reports for over four years. The petitioners say they have proof that this employee did fewer than 100 inspections while claiming to have done thousands.

When this was reported, the employee faced a nine-week paid suspension during an investigation, followed by a week of unpaid suspension. BGE’s HR officials later said he should have been fired.

On top of that, these former employees are also suing BGE for racial harassment. They allege that white employees used racial slurs and even tied nooses at work. This lawsuit now has 17 plaintiffs, with representation from Baña’s wife and a former Deputy Attorney General.

There have been other lawsuits against BGE too, including one related to injuries from a 2020 explosion. Tragically, a contractor died this year while working on a gas leak when a home exploded.

Baña is urging any current BGE employees with information about compromised inspections or cover-ups to come forward. He emphasizes that no one wants to be responsible for a preventable gas explosion.

He also challenges BGE and Exelon to commit in writing to protect whistleblowers who report safety issues. The proposed rate hikes have drawn criticism from consumer advocates and top state lawyers, including Attorney General Anthony G. Brown.