As frustration over high BGE utility bills mount, some Baltimore residents are also voicing their frustration, pushing back against a BGE natural gas pipe replacement project.

BGE is set to replace a 100-year-old cast iron main on Cresmont Avenue, which is part of a larger BGE effort to replace aging natural gas infrastructure.

“It’s a century old,” a BGE spokesperson said in a statement. “Cast iron main leaks at 100 times the rate of plastic main, which is the replacement material.”

However, several residents, who feel they have not received enough information about the project despite meeting with BGE, have questioned the need for it and have also voiced concerns about BGE putting in high-pressure natural gas pipes, rather than the low-pressure pipes that are currently used.

ALSO READ| With rising energy bills, lawmakers debate the Ratepayer Protection Act

“If you need to replace pipes because they are too leak prone, sure go ahead and replace it, but do it with low pressure lines,” said resident Nike Carstarphen.

“It raises the cost of the whole thing and we find it unnecessary,” she added.

While Carstarphen said they were not given enough time to electrify their homes after being notified about the project, she also questioned the need for it amid ambitious climate goals outlined by Governor Wes Moore, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to generate more clean energy in state.

“The question is why are we spending billions of dollars in replacing the aging gas system when we should be paying for expanding the grid to make electrification possible,” Carstarphen said.

In response, A BGE spokesperson maintained the modern natural gas systems are safer. In a statement, “BGE is not unilaterally making decisions to replace aging gas infrastructure; we’re working to meet Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration objectives and comply with federal and state guidelines and policy.”

ALSO READ| Maryland AG, officials announce legislation to lower energy costs for residents

The BGE spokesperson cited a PHMSA report issued to to Congress, which cited the need for replacing the old natural gas pipes. The report said in part, “the most effective integrity method for cast iron is replacement programs. Cast iron material poses many integrity risks.” BGE also said they were not the only utility company updating their infrastructure, even amid growing climate goals nationwide. They referenced the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocated funding to municipal gas utilities for aging pipeline upgrades across the country.

“BGE would be violating its requirements under state and federal laws/regulations and doing a disservice to its customers if we stopped, or even curtailed, investing in gas system upgrades to adhere to prospective future policy decisions. If state policy changes, BGE will follow new state policy,” the BGE statement continued to say.

Amid rising utility rates and rate hikes for customers, state lawmakers in Annapolis are currently considering the Ratepayer Protection Act, which is designed to protect customers from rising utility prices.

The proposed legislation would modify the Strategic Infrastructure Development and Enhancement, which was passed in 2013. The STRIDE law as passed to encourage gas utilities to replace aging gas pipes in Maryland. in simple terms, the law allows utility companies to charge customers a monthly fee, so they can quickly recoup the cost of certain infrastructure projects.

“This bill is not a repeal of STRIDE. It’s a modest bill and it makes modest changes to the current law to ensure that gas infrastructure work that is bill to our utility customers through the accelerated cost recovery of STRIDE, is actually necessary to ensure safety and uses the most cost-effective tools to do so,” Del. Elizabeth Embry said.