Baltimore residents seek injunction to stop BGE from installing external gas regulators

BALTIMORE -- Three women who were arrested while protesting the installation of exterior gas equipment in Federal Hill on Thursday said on Saturday that they have no plans to back down.

The arrests happened in front of WJZ reporter Paul Gessler. The three women, who had been protesting gas and electricity activity on Warren Avenue in the morning, were arrested just after 4:30 p.m. following hours of negotiation attempts.

Claudia Towles, who is part of the Fells Point Residents Association, asked for the courts to interfere before she was arrested.

She and the two other women are facing charges of interfering with BGE's utility work.

Now, that battle is being taken to court.

They filed a lawsuit against Baltimore Gas and Electric on Friday, according to attorney Thiru Vignarajah.

Baltimore residents are seeking an injunction to stop BGE from installing external gas regulators and from threatening to shut off gas service, Vignarajah said.

"Our research tells us that BGE must give 14 days' notice," Towles said. "They have not done that in any of these instances, and they're using their influence to bully and to just go through neighborhoods and completely dismiss our rights. And that is not OK."

The people who live in the historic homes near Federal Hill Park say they didn't give their consent for BGE to install gas-pressure regulators, which would require contractors to drill three-inch holes in their marble, granite and brick facades.

BGE cut off service to several homes because the homeowners refused to consent to the utility company tearing up their sidewalks and drilling into their homes, which Vignarajah says is against the law.