When the Governor Says “It’s Not the State,” Check Your Utility Bill

By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says rising utility bills over the past four years “aren’t because of the state” — they’re because of the companies that run them.

That claim sounds reassuring. It’s also misleading.

Because Marylanders don’t need a policy memo to see what’s driving their bills. They can read it line by line — right on the statement from Baltimore Gas and Electric.

What’s Actually on a Maryland Utility Bill

A typical BGE bill is broken into three major sections:

1. Supply – the cost of the electricity or gas itself
2. Delivery – the regulated cost of getting that energy to your home
3. Other Charges – the part politicians rarely mention

It’s that third category where the governor’s talking point falls apart.

“Other Charges” includes a collection of state-mandated surcharges, program fees, and regulatory add-ons that function very much like taxes — even if they aren’t labeled that way. These charges are not optional. They are not created by utilities. They are required by state law or approved by state regulators.

Utilities don’t decide them. They collect them.

The State’s Role Is Not Optional — or Small

Maryland lawmakers and regulators have layered utility bills with costs tied to state policy goals, including:

• EmPOWER Maryland energy-efficiency programs
• Environmental compliance and renewable energy mandates
• Grid modernization and transmission investments
• Administrative surcharges approved through rate cases

Each of these initiatives may have a policy rationale. But pretending they don’t affect affordability is disingenuous.

These charges are approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission, created by legislation passed in Annapolis, and implemented under the direction of the executive branch.

When the state mandates spending and authorizes cost recovery through utility bills, it owns the outcome.

“It’s the Utilities” Is a Convenient Deflection

Utilities like BGE are heavily regulated monopolies. They cannot simply raise rates at will. Delivery charges, surcharges, and program fees must be reviewed and approved by state regulators.

That doesn’t make utilities blameless — but it does make the governor’s framing incomplete.

Blaming companies for carrying out state policy is politically convenient. It shifts anger away from lawmakers while preserving the ability to announce new programs without confronting their real-world costs.

But Maryland families don’t experience these charges as abstract policy. They experience them as higher monthly bills.

Executive Orders Don’t Undo the Math

The governor points to a recent executive order aimed at consumer protection, clean energy, and grid modernization.

Executive orders don’t repeal statutes. They don’t remove mandated fees. And they don’t erase costs already embedded in the system.

Marylanders have heard versions of this before: promises of long-term savings, future efficiencies, and eventual relief — while bills keep climbing in the present.

Affordability isn’t improved by press releases. It’s improved by restraint, transparency, and honest accounting.

If the State Mandates the Charge, the State Owns the Cost

Calling these fees “not taxes” may be legally accurate, but it’s functionally meaningless to the people paying them.

If the charge is required by state law, approved by state regulators, collected by utilities on the state’s behalf, and unavoidable — then responsibility lies with the state.

Marylanders aren’t confused. They’re frustrated. And they’re tired of being told that the rising costs they see every month aren’t coming from the policies enacted in their name.

If leaders want credibility on energy affordability, they should start with a simple step: acknowledge what’s actually on the bill.

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