Governor Moore Praises Public Service Commission Ruling Protecting Ratepayers from Unfair Electricity Price Increase
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ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Moore today applauds the Maryland Public Service Commission ruling to prohibit Pepco from raising rates on hardworking residents to pay for imprudent infrastructure spending. The decision today supports the Moore-Miller administration’s historic actions to protect Marylanders from unjustified and unfair rising power costs
“Plain and simple, utilities should not earn unreasonable profits while everyday Marylanders can’t afford to pay their power bills,” said Gov. Moore. “We thank Maryland’s Public Service Commission for their judgement. This news is a major win in our administration’s fight to hold big corporations accountable and protect hardworking families and small businesses against excessive, inefficient utility spending.”
Among other actions, the Commission denied – or “disallowed” – Pepco’s request to charge ratepayers for a multimillion dollar substation investment in this rate case. This decision reflects a longstanding expectation that utilities must analyze lowest cost solutions for meeting power demand—including options such as energy storage, virtual power plants, and non-wires solutions—before jumping to costly infrastructure expansions like White Flint. The lower approved rate of return means Marylanders will pay less for Pepco’s spending the Commission did approve.
“The Commission’s decision today holds utilities accountable. As our team made clear throughout this rate case, utilities must do their homework to prove that their investments are justified and that ratepayers are not paying for unnecessary, costly infrastructure,” said Maryland Energy Administration Director Kelly Speakes-Backman. “Disallowing White Flint sends a message to utilities that imprudent spending will not be tolerated.”
Reining in utility spending is one tool for promoting energy affordability in Maryland. The Moore-Miller Administration signed in May the Utility RELIEF Act, which mobilizes nearly $300 million in energy relief for Maryland families, goes after $20 million/year in unjustified utility surcharges, and puts money directly back in the pockets of ratepayers.
Following sustained advocacy from Governor Moore and a coalition of 13 governors, the extension of PJM’s capacity market price cap saved ratepayers across PJM states $13.3 billion in the July capacity auction alone. And the administration’s December 2025 executive order requiring utilities to consider non-wires solutions and advanced transmission technologies promotes development of a modernized, more affordable and reliable grid.
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