Baltimore City, County residents share thoughts on energy costs, crime, local services in UMBC poll
Baltimore City and County residents shared their thoughts on quality of life issues, government services and local amenities in a recent UMBC poll.
The poll surveyed 642 adults in Baltimore City and 628 adults in Baltimore County between April 1 and April 6.
About 82% of Baltimore City residents and 79% of Baltimore County residents considered the cost of household energy bills as a major issue in their communities, the survey found.
Recently, Maryland lawmakers and local leaders have taken action to address the rise in energy costs.
In February, the Baltimore City Council called on the Public Service Commission to stop Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE)'s
rate hikes planned for 2026.
During the 2025 legislative session, Maryland lawmakers introduced several bills to address rising utility costs.
The
Ratepayer Protection Act
would require energy companies to lower spending on pipelines, and the
Climate Solutions Affordability Act
would allow climate requirements to only be carried out if they are affordable.
Neither bill passed.
Crime and public safety were major issues for 83% of Baltimore City residents compared to 68% of Baltimore County residents, according to the poll.
Despite the majority of city residents considering crime a concern, violent crime has dropped in the city so far this year.
As of April 1, homicides are down 22% and non-fatal shootings are down 28% compared to 2024, Baltimore City data shows.
According to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott
, violent crime is down 20% and robberies are down 22%. The mayor credits the city's violence prevention plan for the drop in crime rates.
The poll also questioned city and county residents on their satisfaction with local government services like K-12 schools, emergency services and infrastructure maintenance.
About 23% of city residents and 36% of county residents were satisfied with K-12 schools.
Nearly 58% of city residents and 77% of county residents were satisfied with the responsiveness of emergency services, according to the survey.
The survey found that a low number of residents were satisfied with the maintenance of local infrastructure, streets and public spaces, with 24% of city residents and 49% of county residents reporting their satisfaction.
Residents were also less than satisfied with policing and the criminal justice system.
About 33% of city residents and 57% of county residents were satisfied with public safety in their communities. 29% of city residents reported they were satisfied with the criminal justice system, while 38% of county residents reported their satisfaction.
The survey found that many Baltimore City and county residents had a positive outlook on local amenities, including sports venues, outdoor spaces and animal shelters.
The survey found that 67% of city residents and 55% of county residents rated local sports venues as good or excellent. 68% of city residents rated arts and music venues highly compared to 44% of county residents.
About 63% of Baltimore County residents rated local parks and outdoor spaces highly, compared to 48% of city residents.
In both the city and county, 40% of residents believed local animal shelters were excellent or good.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Gov. Kay Ivey names new Public Service Commission president
COLUMBUS, Ga. — Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has named Cynthia Lee Almond to serve as the next Public Service Commission President. The appointment fills the seat left vacant by Twinkle Cavanaugh, who has taken a role in the Trump Administration. As president, Almond will lead the board responsible for regulating utilities in Alabama. Almond is a seasoned attorney and currently works in the private practice of law. She also takes the helm at the Public Service Commission after serving as a Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives for District 63. Previously, Almond served four terms on the Tuscaloosa City Council, where she was elected president pro tem by her colleagues. 'I am honored to have been asked by Governor Ivey to fill this important position. It is one I accept with great enthusiasm,' said Almond. 'I know how important this commission is to the people of Alabama and to the industry sectors it regulates. I believe my training as an attorney and legislator will prove to be helpful in performing this role.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
The Trump admin ordered a coal power plant to stay on past retirement. Customers in 15 states will foot the bill
An aging coal power plant that was supposed to shutter last week will run throughout the summer at the order of President Donald Trump's Energy Sec. Chris Wright, a decision that could cost Midwest energy customers tens of millions of dollars. The last-minute federal order to keep the J.H. Campbell plant operating came as a surprise to Michigan officials, including the head of the state's Public Service Commission, given it was at the tail end of a multi-year retirement process that was approved in 2022. 'The grid operator hadn't asked for this, the utility hadn't asked for this, we as the state hadn't asked for this,' said Dan Scripps, chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission. 'We certainly didn't have any conversations with the (Energy Department) in advance of the order, or since.' Wright's May 23 emergency order cited concerns the Midwest could face a summer electricity shortage due to a lack of available coal, gas and nuclear plants that can provide stable baseload power. But Consumers Energy, the utility that owns the coal plant, told CNN in an email it already purchased another natural gas-fired power plant to carry the load when the coal plant went offline. Scripps said the cost to keep the over-60-year-old plant operating, even for 90 days, will be high, and customers in 15 states will foot the bill. 'I can say with a pretty high degree of confidence that we're looking at multiple tens of millions of dollars at the low end,' Scripps said. 'I think there's a range between there and the high end of getting close to $100 million.' It's unclear so far what that will mean for individual electricity bills, Scripps added, given the uncertainty about final cost. 'For years, American grid operators have warned decommissioning baseload power sources such as coal plants would jeopardize the reliability of our grid systems, which has raised alarm bells,' Energy Department spokesperson Ben Dietderich said in a statement. Dietderich didn't say whether the Energy Department had conducted a cost analysis before issuing the emergency order. It's unclear whether the department realized the company already had a plan to maintain baseload power after its closure. Wright issued another emergency order last week to keep a Pennsylvania power plant that runs on natural gas and oil open past its May 31 retirement date. Coal is the dirtiest fuel large plants still burn for electricity, and it's now the most expensive as renewable energy sources like solar have become increasingly cost-effective. Although natural gas is a fossil fuel and contributes significantly to warming the planet, it is still considered a cheaper and less-polluting option. Gas generates 43% of the country's electricity. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she is considering legal action against the federal government. Nessel and energy experts said such an emergency order from the federal government is extremely rare and usually reserved for the aftermath of severe storms or natural disasters. 'This is a novel case for us,' Nessel said. 'We've not had to do this before.' She reiterated keeping the plant open would 'significantly' raise electricity rates, saying, 'The whole point of closing this plant down was to save money.' More electric utilities are retiring their coal plants because they are old and especially expensive to run. In 2021, the average coal-fired power plant was 45 years old, according to a report from the Energy Information Administration. The Energy Department's order didn't specify exactly how much the Michigan coal plant should run, saying it was requiring the utility to 'take all measures necessary to ensure that the Campbell Plant is available to operate.' Scripps and energy experts said that means the coal plant would likely run continuously at a lower level throughout the summer, or until Wright's order ends. Unlike gas plants, coal plants can't be easily turned on and off with the flip of a switch and take time to ramp up and come online. The Campbell plant is so old — it has been operating since 1962 — that Michigan energy regulators feared it could not physically turn back on once it was powered off. The utility will also have to buy more coal to keep it going. Consumers Energy said it has 'arranged for new shipments of coal to keep the plant operating.' A new report from think tank Energy Innovation found the cost of coal-fired power has grown faster than inflation in the last few years — collectively costing US consumers $6.2 billion more in 2024 than it would have cost in 2021. 'Even existing coal where it has fully depreciated and been paid off, the cost of coal is more than solar and storage at this point,' said Doug Lewin, a Texas based energy expert who authors the Texas Energy and Power Newsletter and host of the Energy Capital Podcast. Lewin covers the energy transition in deep red Texas, where power companies are building wind, solar and battery storage at an incredible pace. Of the significant amount of new electricity added to the Texas grid in the last four years, 92% has been wind, solar and storage, Lewin said. That has paid dividends, keeping energy prices relatively low and meeting the state's exploding power demand from air conditioning, data centers and big industry. 'All throughout the summer months, you're getting maximum solar output,' Lewin said. 'It's very well correlated to peak demand. For a place with massive AC load like Texas, it's fantastic.' Texas has also invested a lot in big batteries that can keep power flowing to the grid after the sun stops shining and the wind stops blowing. Energy Sec. Wright, however, has panned renewables, saying they are not a reliable replacement for fossil fuels. 'There is simply no physical way that wind, solar and batteries could replace the myriad uses of natural gas,' he said at Houston energy conference CERAWeek in March. 'I haven't even mentioned oil or coal yet.' • Trump EPA drafting a rule that would undo decades of progress on limiting pollution from power plants • The jobs and tax credits that could disappear if the 'big, beautiful' bill passes the Senate • A polluting, coal-fired power plant found the key to solving America's biggest clean energy challenge
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Georgia Public Service Commission races focus on high power bills
Georgia's Public Service Commission gets a rare turn at the top of the ballot in 2025, a chance to focus public attention on a regulatory body that sets rates and oversees generation plans for Georgia Power, which serves 2.3 million customers statewide. Four Democrats and two Republicans are running in June 17 primaries. Early voting has begun and continues through June 14. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Georgia Power customers have seen bills rise six times in recent years because of higher natural gas costs, construction projects including two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta, and other factors. A typical Georgia Power residential customer now pays more than $175 a month, including taxes. All the challengers are calling for change, while Republican incumbent Tim Echols defends his record. The five-member commission, currently all Republicans, also oversees some natural gas rates for Atlanta Gas Light and Liberty Gas. Through Wednesday, turnout has been microscopic, with 15,000 ballots cast on the Democratic side and fewer than 10,000 in the GOP race. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] There are two separate primary elections taking place. A voter can choose either a Republican ballot or a Democratic ballot. In each race, candidates must live in a certain district, but run statewide. In the District 2 race, Lee Muns of Harlem is challenging Echols, who lives in Hoschton. Echols has been on the Public Service Commission since 2011. The winner will face Democrat Alicia Johnson in November. In the District 3 race, four Democrats are vying to challenge Republican incumbent Fitz Johnson in November. They are Daniel Blackman, Peter Hubbard and Keisha Waites of Atlanta and Robert Jones of Brookhaven. If no Democrat wins a majority June 17, a runoff will be held July 15. Georgia usually doesn't have statewide elections in odd-numbered years, but these were pushed back after elections were delayed by a lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the statewide voting scheme as discriminatory to Black people. No Georgia Public Service Commission elections have been held since 2022 because of the lawsuit. Johnson was appointed to the commission in 2021 by Gov. Brian Kemp and has never faced voters. He was supposed to run for the last two years of his predecessor's term in 2022. Instead, the District 3 winner can run again next year for a six-year term, after lawmakers rewrote the terms. Echols was supposed to run for a six-year term in 2022. Instead, the District 2 winner will serve for five years, with the next election in 2030. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger disqualified Blackman from the ballot, ruling he hadn't moved into Fulton County, part of District 2, before the required year before the election. But a judge decided Blackman could remain on the ballot until the judge rules on Blackman's appeal. Blackman lost a 2020 race for the commission and was appointed by President Joe Biden as southern region administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. Blackman said he moved to Atlanta in October. But he voted in Forsyth County in November and didn't switch his registration to Fulton County until April. Blackman said he's not backing down, though. 'There's a legal ongoing process happening right now,' he said. 'We have been deemed to be back on the ballot.' Echols touts a three-year freeze in rates agreed to by Georgia Power and commission staff, calling it 'the most important thing the commission can do right now.' 'The inflation in this economy has been brutal and put many people in a difficult situation,' Echols wrote in a statement. But Muns and the Democrats running in District 3 argue bills are too high. Some of them say the commission will give Georgia Power a free pass if its approves the freeze. Blackman says the company should agree to extend the rate freeze to five years 'if they really want to be serious about addressing high power costs in Georgia.' Muns, who founded a construction company and previously served on the Columbia County school board, is among candidates who say the commission should lower the financial return that Georgia Power is allowed to earn on money it has invested in power plants and transmission lines. That rate of return drives the $2.5 billion in profit that Georgia Power contributed last year to its parent, Atlanta-based Southern Co. Jones, who worked for California's utility regulator, a phone company and Microsoft, called the rate freeze 'atrocious' saying it props up Georgia Power's rate of return. 'I feel the commission is not doing enough deep scrutiny of the operating expenses and of the financials of the company,' Jones said. Hubbard, a green energy advocate, said it would be cheaper to shift toward solar power stored by batteries, instead of building more natural gas plants. 'Renewables, battery storage, some of these other solutions, are the fiscally conservative, least cost, most economical options,' Hubbard said. Waites, a former state House member and former Atlanta City Council member, said she's not an energy expert. 'But I am someone that just like you works hard, and at the end of the day, I just want to get a fair return in terms of what my cost is in terms of what I am paying,' she said at a recent candidate forum.
