Posted on 04/16/25
| News Source: WBAL TV
Baltimore, MD - April 16, 2025 - Former Baltimore Gas and Electric employees called out an inspector who they say falsified gas pipeline inspections for years.
It prompted an investigation. Now, the investigation's findings are coming into focus.
"BGE's response before the Public Service Commission, they simply called my client's allegations 'spurious' and 'outrageous,'" said David Baña, the attorney for the plaintiffs.
Baña represents 14 former BGE employees with allegations going back four years.
"My clients allege that a gas pipeline inspector that worked for BGE was known to be hanging out on his boat when he was supposed to be inspecting gas pipelines and that he had been falsifying records for years," Baña said.
A team of engineers released the results of an investigation — but 11 of the report's 17 pages are redacted because BGE said most of the responses are confidential.
The report identifies "gaps in BGE's quality assurance and compliance oversight."
The report notes that BGE failed to produce a list of jobs affected by the falsified reports, a remediation plan, which the division describes as "a high-risk critical asset with a threat to life, safety, and property," or documentation of work in place of the discredited inspections.
"Unquestionably, my clients feel vindicated, especially after being maligned for so long," Baña said.
The engineering division recommends the PSC request a list of all projects "inspected" by the discredited employee, mandate an independent audit to see if BGE has been following its inspection protocols, consider a refund to ratepayers, require BGE develop a corrective action plan and consider additional commission action.
"When somebody comes forward with serious safety issues, the company needs to take those seriously," Baña said.
Baña hopes the attorney general will further investigate the alleged fraud.
In a statement to 11 News, the PSC said: "Since this report includes recommendations that the Commission could take, we decline comment at this time on findings by the Engineering Division. Since the report was filed a few days ago, the Commission is now considering those recommendations and its next steps in this matter."
In a statement, BGE said:
"We respectfully disagree with the PSC Engineering Division’s conclusions that suggest that there were multiple instances where a single former employee submitted false audits or that the actions of that employee compromised our gas system safety or resulted in any imprudent costs. The activity in question involved the former employee conducting contractor compliance audits, not safety inspections as characterized by the PSC. This distinction is crucial for an accurate understanding of the situation. BGE identified a single instance in 2024 where the former employee submitted a falsified post-audit report. No reinspection was required because the contractor conducting the specified work had not yet commenced it. Contrary to the reporting, there was no failure to produce information. BGE did provide information regarding the single job affected by the falsified audit to the PSC Engineering Division and was not asked to produce a remediation plan during the investigation."
"BGE maintains a comprehensive approach to contractor oversight that includes multiple verification methods and built-in redundancies to ensure compliance with both contractual obligations and safety standards. This multi-layered approach reflects our unwavering commitment to safety as our highest priority. BGE continues to not only meet but exceed industry best practices while making substantial ongoing investments in systems and processes that enhance both operational integrity and safety for the communities we serve."