Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Three new bills introduced on Tuesday in the Maryland House of Delegates aim to improve public participation in the Maryland Public Service Commission's oversight of utilities such as Pepco.
Three bills introduced Tuesday in the Maryland House of Delegates aim to make communication between the Maryland Public Service Commission and utility companies operating in Maryland more transparent. "We have a system in which the Maryland Public Service Commission [which oversees electric utility companies, including Pepco and BGE] had allowed our utilities to neglect their infrastructure to the point where it is literally crumbling," said state Delegate Al Carr Jr. (D-District 18), who introduced the three bills to improve public participation and public confidence in the PSC's oversight of utilities, according to a statement from Carr's office. One of the bills proposes live-streaming and archiving all PSC proceedings online. "It is …
Monday, January 14, 2013
In the wake of Pepco's most recent request for permission to raise electricity rates, the county tasked an assistant county attorney to focus solely on utility issues.
Montgomery County now has an in-house attorney dedicated to utility issues. "[Lawyer] Lisa Brennan moved from the Office of Consumer Protection, where she dealt frequently with utility issues, to the Office of the County Attorney where utilities will now dominate her time," Montgomery County spokesman Patrick Lacefield told The Gazette. So far, the county has hired outside attorneys as well as using in-house ones to fight against Pepco's rate increase requests. Dedicating one in-house attorney to utility issues, rather than paying for outside counsel, should save the county some money, The Gazette reported. The county's move to consolidate its efforts to ensure that county residents are paying fair prices for quality utilities comes in …
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Seven Montgomery County Council members call the rate increase request "suspect, unwarranted and unjustified."
Little more than a week has passed since Pepco filed its most recent rate increase request (for $60.8 million) with the Maryland Public Service Commission, and the protests have begun already. Town of Somerset Council Member Cathy Pickar proposed that the Somerset Council write a letter of protest to the PSC to say that the town council is opposed to the rate increase, which Pickar described as "regulatory ransom." "[This rate increase suggests that] if you want improvement, you pay for it first." The rate increase—the second that Pepco has filed this year—has two parts to it, Patch reported last week: (A "typical" residential customer is one who uses approximately 1,000 kilowatt hours a month, Pepco said.) "There’s no question that we are…
Friday, November 30, 2012
Pepco also requested additional funds to accelerate reliability improvements.
If Pepco's most recent rate increase request is approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission, typical residential customers could pay $7.13 more a month in electricity bills. The 4.98 percent increase (based on a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours a month) would happen only if the PSC approves Pepco's request—made on Friday—for a $60.8 million increase in base distribution rates, according to a Pepco statement. The increase would pay for improvements that Pepco is in the process of making to its distribution system. The improvements—which began in 2010—appear to be working: By 2011, Maryland customers receiving electricity from upgraded feeders experienced 58 percent fewer outages and a 69 percent decrease in the…
Monday, July 23, 2012
The increase will raise a household's monthly electricity bill by about $2, according to a statement issued by the Maryland Public Service Commission.
Friday, July 20, 2012
The increase will raise a household's monthly electricity bill by about $2, according to a statement issued by the Maryland Public Service Commission.
Of the $68 million rate increase requested by Pepco, the Maryland Public Service Commission has rejected $50 million. Still, the $18 million rate increase "translates into a $2.02 typical residential monthly bill impact" (a 1.69 percent increase), according to a statement issued by the Maryland Public Service Commission on Friday afternoon. In the rejection order, the commission "noted its overall dissatisfaction with Pepco’s performance, and characterized its request to increase returns to shareholders 'before Pepco corrects its sub-par performance' as 'backwards,' " according to the statement. Pepco filed the request on Dec. 16, 2011. "The full record in the case included testimony from 31 witnesses and 11 days of evidentiary hearings, …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The rate increase would raise a typical Maryland resident's monthly electricity bill by about $5.50.
Those not happy with the prospect of increased Pepco rates may want to circle Sunday, April 22 on their calendars. In response to Pepco's request last December for a $60 million-plus increase in its rates from Maryland customers, AARP will hold a town hall meeting at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center on April 22, from 1 to 3 p.m., "to mobilize support to stop Pepco’s utility rate hike," according to an AARP press release. “What Pepco is asking from consumers is ridiculous,” said AARP Maryland Associate State Director of Advocacy Tammy Bresnahan. The rate increase would "up a typical [Maryland] residential customer’s monthly bill by about $5.50," starting in the summer, The Washington Post reported last winter. The increased rates …
Bob
10:40 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Perhaps now we can get PSC to move on ensuring that the utilities billing methods are accurate, including computations on bills that are incorrect or not properly listed. At least 2 times a year Pepco, for example, changes from winter to summer rates; changes to service and tax/fee rates are also applied throughout the year. My Pepco bills only show one rate for a billing item, usually the rate … more ›