FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2025
Baltimore, MD – In response to a ruling by the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) that found Washington Gas Light (WGL) was liable for misleading customers about the impacts of gas, environmental and consumer advocates are urging the PSC to impose civil penalties on the utility.
In 2021, WGL made misleading statements on customer bills, falsely claiming that gas was “clean energy,” that gas was one-third the price of electricity, and that using gas instead of electricity would save acres of trees. In March 2025, the Maryland PSC ruled that the utility had indeed been misleading customers about the impacts of gas in advertising distributed in October and November 2021. Throughout the proceeding, WGL has maintained that it is not aware of who developed the billing statements, who approved their inclusion on the bills, or where the information in the statements came from.
WGL’s lack of information about how misleading information ended up in customer utility bills has alarmed environmental and consumer advocates, who are concerned this reflects a disregard for the public interest. To ensure the utility takes accountability for misleading its customers on the impacts of gas, Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, has joined the Office of People’s Counsel in urging the PSC to consider civil penalties for WGL.
Leading advocates on this case have issued the following statements:
“We’re encouraged by the PSC’s recent ruling in the public interest,” said Josh Tulkin, Director of the Sierra Club Maryland Chapter. “Advocates see issuing penalties as an important next step to send a strong signal that utilities misleading the public will not be tolerated.”
“Utilities like Washington Gas Light need to be held accountable for misleading the public about their product,” said Susan Stevens Miller, senior attorney on Earthjustice’s Right To Zero campaign. “Burning gas causes dangerous health-harming pollution, and Marylanders deserve to have the real facts. Now, the Public Service Commission has an opportunity to impose significant penalties on WGL and set a standard for utilities across the country.”
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