BGE Baltimore Gas and Electric : Celebrates Pollinator Week June 21-27

​Exelon's utilities continue commitment to creating and maintaining habitats for pollinator species on thousands of acres of transmission corridors and other company land holdings

BALTIMORE (June 21, 2021) - BGE and its five sister Exelon utilities join fellow environmentally conscious organizations all over the world in celebration of Pollinator Week, an international effort from June 21-27, 2021, to raise awareness about the urgent need to address declining pollinator populations and promote their valuable contributions to the ecosystem.

Supporting pollinator habitats and biodiversity is an integral part of BGE's operations, with an emphasis on transforming transmission rights-of-way throughout central Maryland into a more welcoming place for pollinators to live. BGE actively manages 1,900 acres of rights-of-way using Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) to improve wildlife habitats and has a goal to increase that number to 3,000 acres by 2025. IVM also encourages the growth of compatible low-growing native shrubs and grass, lowers BGE's carbon footprint because it requires less mowing, and improves water quality within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

'Pollinators are essential to preserving a healthy ecosystem in the communities we serve,' said Chad Devine, manager of vegetation management at BGE. 'We embrace our responsibility to find innovative opportunities to protect wildlife and habitats-leveraging our assets to help ensure pollinator species recover and thrive, and pursuing pollinator-focused strategies that have the added benefit of enhancing the safety and reliability of the energy service we provide customers.'

Most flowering plants and staple crops rely on animal pollinators for reproduction. Bees, butterflies, birds, and more than 200,000 other pollinator species are responsible for one out of every three bites of food you eat and $20 billion worth of products annually in the United States. But pollinators face a growing threat of habitat loss as native vegetation is replaced by roadways, monoculture, and non-native plants, and their well-being is further threatened by humans' overuse of pesticides and by climate change. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists dozens of critical pollinators as endangered or threatened.

That's why BGE's pollinator support extends beyond transmission corridors. While eight BGE rights-of-way are certified by the National Wildlife Federation and/or the Wildlife Habitat Council, nine additional company sites also hold these certifications for being welcoming to pollinators and other wildlife.

As owners and managers of tens of thousands of acres of land, Exelon's utilities-Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO, and Pepco-are uniquely positioned to be leaders of pollinator stewardship. Earlier this year, ComEd applied for a binding Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the monarch butterfly. BGE and PHI (Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power, and Pepco) are also applying for CCAAs. BGE would pledge under its CCAA to convert 18 percent of transmission rights-of-way to pollinator habitats specifically to protect the monarch, which is threatened so significantly it is a candidate to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. More than 400 acres of BGE rights-of-way already meets CCAA pollinator habitat criteria.

Exelon's corporate Biodiversity and Habitat Policy ensures its operating companies pursue other important pollinator-friendly strategies. For example, higher diversity seed mixes are used in vegetation restoration efforts, employees have access to educational resources about pollinators, and community pollinator initiatives are supported through partnerships with nonprofits and regulatory agencies.

Pollinator Week is organized by Pollinator Partnership, the largest nonprofit organization in the world dedicated exclusively to the protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems.

More information about Pollinator Week, including how you can get involved, is available at pollinator.org.

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BGE is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility, providing safe and reliable energy delivery to more than 1.3 million electric customers and more than 680,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company was founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility and remains headquartered in Baltimore City to this day. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider. Engage with the latest BGE stories onbgenow.com and connect with BGE on Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, andYouTube.