Utility Bills

No, the Obama Administration is not handing out grants to pay off your utility bills. That's the latest warning from Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler. This hoax has cropped up in more than a dozen states, including Maryland. Con artists tell consumers that if they pay $1,000 to $1,200, they will get a federal grant deposited in their bank account from the Obama Administration to pay off their utility bills. (That doesn't even sound like a good deal.)  Of course, these con artists try to get consumers' bank account and other personal information.

A million residential customers could see an extra few dollars added each month to their utility bills. The General Assembly gave final passage Thursday to a bill to allow two large utilities to impose a surcharge of up to $2 a month on residential customers to speed a program of replacing aging gas pipelines. By a vote of 116-19, the House of Delegates approved the Senate bill, sending the measure to Gov. Martin O'Malley, who has not said whether he will sign it. The legislation would authorize the Public Service Commission to approve the surcharge on the bills of customers of BGE and Washington Gas Light.

A bill that would allow a surcharge of up to $2 a month on residential utility bills to pay for new gas pipelines appears to be advancing on a fast track in the General Assembly. The legislation would let the Maryland Public Service Commission grant the surcharge so utilities such as BGE could speed up replacement of aging pipelines. The state Senate gave preliminary approval to the measure Tuesday after a lively debate; the House of Delegates approved it Monday. Final votes on the measure, which appears likely to pass, are expected by the end of the week.

A bill that would allow a surcharge of up to $2 a month on residential utility bills to pay for new gas pipelines appears to be advancing on a fast track in the General Assembly. The legislation would let the Maryland Public Service Commission grant the surcharge so utilities such as BGE could speed up replacement of aging pipelines. The state Senate gave preliminary approval to the measure Tuesday after a lively debate; the House of Delegates approved it Monday. Final votes on the measure, which appears likely to pass, are expected by the end of the week.

At the first sight of snow, Joan Toler heads for the closet. Living without electricity, the 50-year-old retired nurse has to pull on some pantyhose, boots and four sweaters to keep warm. Five blankets help, too. Toler, who drives a taxicab, can't pay the $2,800 that Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. says she owes and she disputes. Her service was cut off Nov. 2. "It's just crazy," said Toler, who says she brings home about $1,200 a month. "I'm freezing." As temperatures drop and fuel bills rise this winter, state agencies and utilities are aggressively seeking families and residents such as Toler who need help paying utility bills.

Helen Brierley turned off her heat pump and has been air-drying her dishes. Amina Gauhar hangs her laundry on a clothes rack and even avoids the vacuum cleaner. Both have turned their thermostats way down. But despite efforts to conserve energy, their utility bills - like those of other Maryland residents - have doubled or even tripled during the past few months. As Maryland regulators and utility executives scramble to explain the sticker shock to thousands of angry customers, the Maryland Public Service Commission set up a hearing this week to address the sharp number of complaints.

The first home Mette Ramanathan and her husband considered buying was a 2,200-square-foot, five-bedroom place. It was too big for the couple, who were interested in space efficiency and lower utility costs. So they settled on a considerably smaller three-bedroom Cape Cod in Baltimore's Hamilton neighborhood. The larger house was "not only expensive but you're using and wasting an awful lot of space," said Ramanathan, who moved in May. "Even if we start a family, we don't need five bedrooms to start a family."

No, because it doesn't make any difference. The government will still be getting the money from us in the long run. What's the differenceif they lower it one place and jack it up somewhere else? I think they charge too much on taxes. I own a business and have to operate it on the confines of my budget. The government can't just tax when it needs more money. There has to be accountability.

As Gov. Martin O'Malley prepares to renew his push to build industrial wind turbines off Maryland's coast, a new poll shows strong public support even if the outlook for offshore wind development has grown cloudier lately. The mid-December survey done by OpinionWorks of Annapolis on behalf of a coalition of environmental groups finds that nearly two-thirds of voters statewide favor developing offshore wind power even if it would raise their utility bills by $2 a month. That echoes the finding of an earlier poll in September, in which 62 percent of those asked supported offshore wind.

Charles W. Davis Sr., a disabled Vietnam veteran, says he never asked for charity in his life - until recently, when cold weather and rising fuel prices conspired to drive his heating bills into triple digits. Last month, Davis says, he received a $252 heating bill for his two-bedroom Owings Mills apartment - much more than he usually pays. A lapsed Catholic, he appealed to area churches, garnering some money but not enough to pay the whole bill. He is bracing himself for the next bill.

Gov. Martin O'Malley did an excellent job appointing a competent and independent Public Service Commission to look at the issues around utility fee structures in Maryland. The PSC sees the whole picture when they review a company's request for a rate increase, and the public relies on them to review the performance and profits of the utility companies - their independence should not be compromised. AARP does not support the recommendations released recently by a work group to allow power companies to add surcharges to utility bills in order to fund reliability and enhancement improvements ("A worthy investment," Oct. 4)

It was with great interest that I read your article about Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger's office helping people facing foreclosure ("Help comes during foreclosure," Aug. 26). I wonder how many of those facing foreclosure fell behind due to extremely high utility bills. It might interest people to know that in just the six-month period ending June 30, Congressman Ruppersberger received almost $70,000 in contributions from utility companies. Imagine the hundreds of thousands of dollars he has received from them during his 10 years in Congress.

Angry utility customers have spurred regulators to reconsider whether Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and its peers can levy small charges to recover lost revenue during the first 24 hours of widespread power outages like those following the June 29 derecho storm. On Thursday, the Maryland Public Service Commission scheduled a hearing for Sept. 24 to discuss a billing mechanism that utilities use to collect only the revenue authorized by the regulatory body. The review will come nine months after the PSC revised the policy because it allowed utilities to charge customers throughout extended outages.

Cathy Pelekakis, who was without power for six days after the June derecho, quickly made a few calls to complain: to her state representative, the Baltimore County executive and the Maryland Public Service Commission. Next on her list: a letter to Comcast. "I don't appreciate the fact they are charging me for services that I never received through no fault of my own," says the 60-year-old Dundalk resident. "I'm going to ask them to compensate me for that time. … It's not much, $5 or $10. It's the principle behind it. " Thousands of Marylanders are likely feeling much the same.

No, the Obama Administration is not handing out grants to pay off your utility bills. That's the latest warning from Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler. This hoax has cropped up in more than a dozen states, including Maryland. Con artists tell consumers that if they pay $1,000 to $1,200, they will get a federal grant deposited in their bank account from the Obama Administration to pay off their utility bills. (That doesn't even sound like a good deal.)  Of course, these con artists try to get consumers' bank account and other personal information.

The directors of Baltimore Behavioral Health Inc., a major drug treatment provider in Baltimore, have laid off longtime executive William "Kris" Hathaway, as the once high-flying nonprofit continues to cut costs. The board of directors had earlier removed Hathaway as chief executive and put vice president Terry T. Brown in charge of the clinic, which specializes in treating people with both addiction and mental illness. In an emailed response to questions from The Baltimore Sun, board member Jay Miller said that Hathaway was laid off "in the interest of saving money.

Think your BGE bill is high? Meet the Glaun family of Owings Mills. Their electricity bill last month topped $900. And that was a major improvement over January, when they had to pay a whopping $1,151. "It's quite embarrassing," said Kim Glaun, who says she turns off lights in empty rooms and lowers the thermostat at night. "We feel like there's a big hole in our house." Turns out, their house is full of little holes that appeared last week as purple splotches captured by an infrared camera that "sees" invisible cold pockets - evidence that chilly air is invading a home as warmth escapes.

As hot as it has been outdoors, it has been downright sweltering on the second floor of Rose Smith's West Baltimore rowhouse. "Oooh, it gets very warm, too warm in there," said Smith, standing outside her West Forest Park Avenue home of 40 years. But as she watches two men scale down a ladder from her flat roof - they look more like painters than roofers, with white paint caked on their arms and uniforms - Smith is dreaming of cooler days. Her black tar roof now sports a reflective white finish, a radical change from the traditional rowhouse look in Baltimore.

The Orioles are purchasing the contract of utility man Bill Hall from Triple-A Norfolk, an industry source has confirmed. Hall will report to Baltimore on today and will be available for tonight's Orioles' game against the Rays at Camden Yards, the source said. Signed to a minor-league contract on April 23, Hall became a free-agent  when he didn't make the Yankees' 25-man roster this spring. In 15 games at Norfolk, Hall put up a .222/.269/.381 line with four doubles, two homers and seven RBI. Hall has had success against left-handed pitching at Norfolk, hitting .444 (8-for-18)

The Orioles have agreed to terms with veteran free-agent utility man Bill Hall, according to multiple industry sources. He will report to the club's Triple-A team in Norfolk and will replace Josh Bell, who was dealt to the Diamondbacks this weekend after he was designated for assignment. The Orioles like his glove at third base and his ability to hit for power against left-handed pitching. Hall spent most of his 10-year big-league career with Milwaukee, where he had a 35-homer, 85-RBI season in 2006, but the Orioles will be his seventh organization since the beginning of the 2009 season.