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Council asks Maryland PSC to review rates, seeks moratorium on utility increases
Summary
Prince George’s County Council adopted CR 17‑20‑25 on April 15 requesting the Maryland Public Service Commission, working with PJM, to impose a moratorium on utility rate increases and undertake a comprehensive review of factors driving price increases. The measure passed on a unanimous roll call and was accompanied by council comments about the
The County Council of Prince George’s County on April 15 adopted CR 17‑20‑25 requesting the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) to impose a moratorium on utility rate increases and to partner with the PJM Interconnection to review policy mechanisms that could reduce rates. The Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy (TIE) Committee voted 5‑0 to report the resolution as amended before the full council approved it on a recorded roll call.
Members said the resolution is intended to give voice to residents experiencing steep utility bills and to press state regulators and regional transmission operators for review and possible remedies. Committee staff summarized several factors cited in the policy analysis as drivers of higher utility bills, including inflation and regional wholesale‑market dynamics under PJM.
The committee report noted that the PSC chair, Fred Hoover, extended an invitation to meet with the council to discuss local concerns. Council members cited existing state and nonprofit assistance programs and requested a broader review of how wholesale market and transmission decisions affect county ratepayers. One council member described a recent case brought to their attention in which a customer received an apparent $10,000 bill; members said such incidents underscore the need to review billing, assistance and protections for vulnerable customers.
The amended resolution asks the PSC to partner with PJM to conduct a comprehensive review of factors contributing to increases and to examine policy mechanisms and relief for low‑income ratepayers. The TIE committee made the amendment to add the PJM partnership request and voted 5‑0 to report the resolution favorably. On the floor, the council substituted draft 2, adopted the amendment and approved the resolution on a recorded vote (roll call recorded in the transcript). Council members stressed that the resolution requests action by state and regional entities — it does not itself freeze rates but signals the council’s request for regulatory intervention.
Actions and next steps: CR 17‑20‑25 was adopted as amended and will be transmitted to the Maryland Public Service Commission and related state entities for their consideration. The PSC has been invited to meet with the council as part of the information‑gathering process.
