The Maryland Green Party’s largest ever slate of candidates is gaining public support for it’s program to Take Back BGE.

The issue, growing out of the deregulation of electricity by Maryland’s Democratic controlled Assembly in 1999, would have gone into effect this summer, resulting in huge rate increases.  The worst hit by these rate increases would have been the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company customers who would have seen a 72% increases in their rates–making a mockery of the claim made by Democratic Senate President Mike Miller after passage of deregulation that “Prices will go down, no ifs, ands or buts.”

In order to avoid an election year fiasco, Democrats called the assembly back into emergency session and voted to limit the increase to 15% this year, with rates rising to market prices next year.  BG&E’s lost income plus five percent interest will be made up for by a surcharge on customer’s bills for the next 10 years.

BG&E made more than $200 million in profits in 2005, while it’s parent company, Constellation Energy–which also has contracts to sell BGE 70% of the fuel it uses–recorded $1.97 billion in profits.

Green Party Candidate for Governor, Ed Boyd, is leading the campaign, explaining in this clip, the Green Party alternative: full public ownership of public utilities; use “eminent domain” to take back BGE; creation of a Public Service Commission  that looks out for the interests of the taxpayers; and moving Maryland to the forefront of the affordable, renewable energy & conservation movements.