More Marylanders are having trouble keeping their lights on and homes warm after a utility price hike in January. Consumer advocates warn that energy bills will keep rising unless lawmakers step in. Two Baltimore area legislators are introducing legislation in the Maryland General Assembly that would curb gas infrastructure spending.

The Ratepayer Protection Act, sponsored by Del. Elizabeth Embry (D), would require utilities to address the most urgent gas leaks, preventing sharp increases in utility rates. Sen. Mary Washington (D) is expected to introduce a companion bill in the upper chamber.

At a rally on Tuesday, Embry called it a “common sense” bill to rein in wasteful spending on gas pipelines. The bill targets issues stemming from the STRIDE law, enacted in 2013, which allowed Maryland’s gas utilities to charge customers a monthly surcharge to cover the costs of replacing aging infrastructure more quickly.

Emily Scarr, a senior advisor at Maryland PIRG, said the STRIDE law has led to higher energy bills for consumers, with gas companies passing excessive pipeline costs onto customers.

BGE says rate increases are due to lower temperatures and other factors beyond their control.

The utility is pausing service disconnections and waiving late payment fees. It is also waiving the deposit requirement for service restoration, this month.

But many advocates, including elected officials, say such measures are not enough.

Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen said his office has heard from constituents struggling to pay their bills.

“We’ve heard from families facing shutoff notices on some of the coldest days of the year, and from older adults on fixed incomes,” Cohen said.

Ryan Coleman, president of the Randallstown chapter of the NAACP, said the group has received over 100 complaints about rising BGE rates.

“The Randallstown NAACP is requesting an immediate and indefinite moratorium on BGE’s rate increases and a stop to any additional rate hikes,” Coleman wrote in a letter to the Public Service Commission.

Delegates Adrian Boafo and Marlon Amprey are also calling for a moratorium on rate hikes. Another price increase is expected in June.

A hearing before the House Economic Matters committee will take place in Annapolis on Thursday. If passed, it would go into effect on Oct 1, 2025.

However, utility bills could remain high as rates have already been set. But the law would curb future spending costs.