Potomac Edison

The average Potomac Edison customer will see a $3.71 rate increase on the November utility bill, rather than the $8.63 requested in April, company officials said yesterday.Potomac Edison, which serves about 9,400 customers in Carroll County, has said a residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatts of energy a month will now pay $74.46 each month rather than $70.75.Company officials won the increase -- the fifth requested this year -- by arguing that it was necessary to help pay for a scrubber system on its coal-burning power stations in West Virginia.

Maryland energy regulators have approved the sale of Allegheny Energy, which serves Western Maryland, to FirstEnergy, but placed 20 conditions on the $4.7 billion stock deal that would create one of the biggest power companies in the country. The conditions include providing a one-time $29 credit to Maryland residential customers of Allegheny's Potomac Edison, ensuring there are no job losses in Maryland's utility operations related to the merger for at least two years and establishing a regional headquarters in Potomac Edison's Maryland service territory, according to the order issued late Tuesday from the Maryland Public Service Commission.

The Maryland Public Service Commission has approved a request from Potomac Edison Co. to increase an anti-pollution surcharge on customers' bills by $2.2 million.The higher rate applies to electric service provided on and after Dec. 3. Residential customers will see bills rise about 46 cents a month, the utility said.The surcharge reflects the cost of complying with the Clean Air Act of 1990, specifically financing construction of equipment intended to reduce by 90 percent the sulfur dioxide emissions from the company's Harrison power station near Shinnston, W. Va.Potomac Edison has more than 9,000 customers in Carroll County in an area from Mount Airy to Taneytown.

CORPORATE executives always blame economics when threatening to close plants, even if the real reason is management incompetence, greed or an attempt to bluff concessions from workers and tax authorities. But when Alcoa says that the market is "difficult" for its Eastalco aluminum plant in Frederick County and that events outside its control will make the facility unprofitable without assistance from the state, believe it. Economic factors rarely pose a more potent or obvious threat than they do here.

Potomac Edison is again seeking more money from customers, this time a 12.3 percent base rate increase to help the company pay for compliance with the federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.This is the fifth request that the utility, which has about 9,400 customers in Carroll County, has filed with the Maryland Public Service Commission this year. Potomac Edison serves about 187,000 customers in seven Western Maryland counties."There is a very important reason we are asking for this increase," Potomac Edison spokeswoman Cyndi Shoop said.

More than 800 customers of Potomac Edison Co. between Mount Airy and Taylorsville lost electric power about 6 a.m. yesterday, a company spokesman said.All of the customers, along Route 27, had power restored by 11:05 a.m., the spokesman said. He said the outage was caused by equipment problems, and service crews would work late to make repairs.FIRE* Berrett: Winfield, Sykesville and Lisbon of Howard County were dispatched to a chimney fire in the 500 block of Danmarth Road at 9:58 a.m. yesterday.

Potomac Edison electric customers in Maryland probably will see a rise in their electric bills this fall, but the utility has cut its requested increase to about half of what it asked for in April.In an agreement filed with the Public Service Commission (PSC) last week, the rate increase would amount to $19.6 million. The figure includes a $4.9 million surcharge the company imposed to comply with the federal Clean Air Act and has been collecting since spring.The revised figures, worked out between representatives of Potomac Edison and the PSC, would amount to an average 5.6 percent increase in residential bills, according to Assistant People's Counsel Christopher R. Cook.

Potomac Edison Co. yesterday reached an agreement with the city of Hagerstown to purchase its municipal electric distribution system for $20 million in cash and a promise to freeze customers' rates through 2001.The agreement, to be voted on by residents in a November referendum, also calls for Potomac Edison to retain Hagerstown City Light's 36 employees for at least two years, invest a minimum of $8 million to upgrade the system, and add a customer-service facility in downtown Hagerstown.

Potomac Edison, which provides electricity to about 9,000 western Carroll County residents, requested a two-part, 3.2 percent increase in its fuel rate from the Maryland Public Service Commission this week.The increase, if approved, would add $1.85 a month to the bill of a residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatts of electricity, company spokeswoman Debbie Beck said. That "average" customer's bill would rise to $69.06 a month from $67.21, she said.Fuel rates are a separate charge on customer bills to help pay for running the company's generators.

FREDERICK -- Potomac Edison rate increases are exceeding the rate of inflation, causing frustration among customers on fixed incomes, state Public Service Commission representatives were told last night."

Potomac Edison Co. yesterday reached an agreement with the city of Hagerstown to purchase its municipal electric distribution system for $20 million in cash and a promise to freeze customers' rates through 2001.The agreement, to be voted on by residents in a November referendum, also calls for Potomac Edison to retain Hagerstown City Light's 36 employees for at least two years, invest a minimum of $8 million to upgrade the system, and add a customer-service facility in downtown Hagerstown.

Health officials seek dog that bit boy, 13The Carroll County Health Department is looking for a dog that bit a 13-year-old boy Thursday evening at Westminster High School.Health officials said the boy was doing in-line skating near the concession stand at the football field when the dog nipped him on the leg. Thinking it was nothing to worry about, the boy went on without checking the bite.When the teen-ager got home and his mother looked at the bite, the family realized the dog had broken the skin.

More than 800 customers of Potomac Edison Co. between Mount Airy and Taylorsville lost electric power about 6 a.m. yesterday, a company spokesman said.All of the customers, along Route 27, had power restored by 11:05 a.m., the spokesman said. He said the outage was caused by equipment problems, and service crews would work late to make repairs.FIRE* Berrett: Winfield, Sykesville and Lisbon of Howard County were dispatched to a chimney fire in the 500 block of Danmarth Road at 9:58 a.m. yesterday.

Monocacy Bancshares Inc. has declared a dividend of 8 cents per share, payable Oct. 25 to stockholders of record Oct. 11.This dividend is an increase of 33 percent and is a reflection of Monocacy's strong financial performance in 1994 as well as its strong capital position, said Frank W. Neubauer, president and chief executive officer.The company also has started a dividend reinvestment plan, which allows stockholders to use dividends and voluntary cash to purchase Monocacy shares. Company officials believe this will allow the company to increase its capital base, combined with future growth plans.

The average Potomac Edison customer will see a $3.71 rate increase on the November utility bill, rather than the $8.63 requested in April, company officials said yesterday.Potomac Edison, which serves about 9,400 customers in Carroll County, has said a residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatts of energy a month will now pay $74.46 each month rather than $70.75.Company officials won the increase -- the fifth requested this year -- by arguing that it was necessary to help pay for a scrubber system on its coal-burning power stations in West Virginia.

BUCKEYSTOWN -- Just about any evening, as the sun sets behind the rounded blue mountains on the western horizon, Dan Pelz and many of his neighbors can be found outside their Victorian and Colonial homes waiting for the town's 21 new street lamps to come on.This nightly vigil may not seem so bizarre when you consider that for nearly two years, this old village -- a few miles south of Frederick and within the heavily traveled Interstate 270 corridor --...

Potomac Edison is introducing its first energy-conservation programs that include financial incentives for customers to participate.But the power company's Maryland customers -- in part of Carroll County and all of Western Maryland -- will have to foot the bill as builders and businesses enjoy most of the incentives.The programs give rebates for installing energy-efficient lighting and energy-saving devices, said Susan Tuckwell, director of customer relations for Potomac Edison."We've been encouraging energy efficiency and energy conservation for a long time," she said.

A barn and an old vacant schoolhouse were set ablaze by lightning Friday night as a fierce storm moved across Carroll County.The storm also knocked out power to nearly 9,000 Baltimore Gas and Electric and Potomac Edison customers in Carroll.Firefighters from Gamber, Westminster and Winfield were dispatched to the 2700 block of Old Washington Road at 12:34 a.m. and discovered that lightning had hit a wooden barn, causing the roof and hay in the barn to burn. The firefighters remained at the scene for 90 minutes.

Potomac Edison electric customers in Maryland probably will see a rise in their electric bills this fall, but the utility has cut its requested increase to about half of what it asked for in April.In an agreement filed with the Public Service Commission (PSC) last week, the rate increase would amount to $19.6 million. The figure includes a $4.9 million surcharge the company imposed to comply with the federal Clean Air Act and has been collecting since spring.The revised figures, worked out between representatives of Potomac Edison and the PSC, would amount to an average 5.6 percent increase in residential bills, according to Assistant People's Counsel Christopher R. Cook.