February 24, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christine Griffin
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — State Sen. Mary Washington will defend bill SB31 on the Senate floor today after a three-year battle to protect low-income families from the 70 third-party energy suppliers that trap low-income families in predatory contracts resulting in exorbitant bills.
“We’re seeing the tragic price of unregulated energy suppliers in Texas right now,” said State Sen. Washington. “These Retail Choice suppliers are here to make money, not serve consumers, and the main players responsible for the $28 billion extra that Texans have spent above regulated utility rates are at play right here in Maryland. In fact, the 43rd District and Baltimore City in general are among the worst targeted areas for similar schemes.”
Maryland families have paid over $750 million more for utilities since 2014, and an estimated $12 to 15 million of that has been wasted state energy assistance money. Energy Supplier Help Desk shines a light on some of these unscrupulous third-party supplier rates. Spark Energy, for example, marks-up BGE’s electric rate 145 percent, leading an average family to pay $1170 more a year for basic services - in the middle of the pandemic.
“Having Sen. Washington stepping up and fighting for Maryland families who are getting ripped-off by energy suppliers has been a blessing,” said Laurel Peltier, creator of the Energy Supplier Reform Coalition and a lead advocate and volunteer with AARP Maryland. “Maryland’s low-income families on energy assistance paid energy suppliers $650 more a year, even during this pandemic. SB31 will make sure utility bills are affordable and that our state doesn’t waste ratepayer and taxpayer funds on inflated utility bills.”
The Wall Street Journal published today an exclusive news story on the Texas utilities crisis, the first in a series on retail energy. The second will focus on a national Northeast story. You can also read the story of Darlene Jenkins here, a Baltimore resident facing crushing burdens from one of these companies.
“This is a scam these suppliers think they can get away with,” said Sen. Washington. “It’s a quietly complex issue that’s hurting unwitting families across the state, and we’ve been working for years to put an end to it. It’s time the legislature, in the middle of a pandemic, steps up to protect our neighborhoods from these predatory companies.”
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