BALTIMORE — Another neighborhood is joining a lawsuit against BGE claiming they forced them to change their homes and pay for damages caused during the work.
The Milton-Montford community claims BGE forced them to install gas regulators with no input from the community on when or where they'd be installed.
Neighbors say when they pushed back, BGE said their gas would get cut off if they didn't comply.
And when the regulators were installed, they damaged historic marble steps saying repairs were the homeowners' responsibility.
One of the biggest concerns is the regulators being narrow busy streets.
"We have scooters, the kids ride bikes, there is no protection for these regulators. Nothing is protecting these gas regulators and this is our concern. What are y'all going to do now because now we've had an accident and they just came in inches of blowing up the whole neighborhood," said Soretha Staten, vice president of the Milton-Montford Community Association.
That accident, a car crashing inches away from one of the regulators.
Neighbors also say their bills have gone up drastically since regulators were installed.
We reached out to BGE on the issue, they say the work done was "reviewed and approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission, granted a permit by Baltimore City and is in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and BGE standards."
FULL STATEMENT:
“BGE installed natural gas service regulators on the exterior of homes in the Milton-Montford neighborhood in 2022. Gas regulator installations in this community are part of important work that has been reviewed and approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission, was granted a permit by Baltimore City, and is in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and BGE standards. The goal of this work is to provide customers with natural gas in the safest and most reliable manner possible. Gas service work incurs no additional cost to customers. Customers who have a question about their BGE bill are encouraged to contact us online at bge.com [bgeknowledge.custhelp.com] or call us at 800-685-0123.”
