Psc

We have a great capacity for placing people into categories and minimizing their humanity. One such category is "felons" and another is "drug addicts. " We can easily forget that men and women who have been convicted of crimes or are suffering from substance abuse issues are the same as the rest of us at the core - fallible but resolutely hopeful. Here in Baltimore, a celebration of that capacity for hope and a reminder that redemption comes in many forms took place earlier this year in a small chapel within a church on Cathedral Street.

While what Uber Technologies says is essentially true that they own no vehicles and do not have drivers, they are clearly providing transportation through their app ("PSC to decide if Uber must comply with taxi rules," May 16). Any driver who owns a car can sign up with Uber, and Uber will refer people requesting transportation to them. It is essentially the same as picking up the phone and calling a taxicab. The real issue is the safety of the riding public. A taxicab in Baltimore must meet a number of stringent rules and regulations.

I am a big fan of transparency and disclosure in government, but one of the leaps made in The Sun's recent article about contributions by certain companies to the Democratic Governor's Association is misleading and needs to be corrected. ("Firms with Md. interests give to Democratic group," Nov. 27.) After describing contributions by a company called Competitive Power Ventures, the article states that in "October, CPV got what it wanted" when the Maryland Public Service Commission ordered utilities to consider proposals for new power plants to be built in Maryland.

Maryland regulators have approved a 24-turbine "wind farm" project to be built near Frostburg, the third land-based project in the state. The Maryland Public Service Commission gave the OK on Wednesday to Synergics Wind Energy, an Annapolis company that has a 20-turbine project near the West Virginia border. When it proposed the new project, the company said it hoped to begin building in April and finish by the end of the year. Synergics could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Maryland's Public Service Commission struck back at an industry proposal to change the rules for wholesale electricity auctions, saying the plan would protect industry profits and block construction of new generators. The PSC "strongly protested" the proposed change before federal regulators, the agency said in a prepared statement. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is considering the proposal from the PJM Power Producers Group, an industry consortium that includes Constellation Energy, owner of Baltimore Gas & Electric.

Sen. Robert A. Zirkin called on a Senate committee Tuesday to approve legislation expanding the state Public Service Commission's role in overseeing the state's interstate natural gas pipelines -- including one running alongside his Owing Mills home. The PSC, however, expressed ambivalence about taking on the broad new role Zirkin envisions -- saying some of his proposals would run afoul of federal law. Zirkin received a hearing on a package of seven bills he has introduced to increase state regulation of the natural gas pipeline industry.

It's been six weeks since the Court of Appeals started mulling over the legality of the General Assembly's decision to remove Chairman Kenneth D. Schisler and fellow members of the Public Service Commission, and Maryland's highest court has yet to issue a ruling. This has kept Mr. Schisler and three current commissioners in a kind of lame-duck status (and left a fifth commission seat vacant). In most matters before the court, a six-week delay might be thought inconsequential. But the future of the PSC - and its implications for utility prices and the coming election - demands a more expedited approach.

The Sun's June 22 editorial on the Public Service Commission's denial of BGE's smart meter application simply repeats BGE's own assertions regarding its proposal as a business venture and fails to acknowledge the important ratepayer concerns at issue in this case. The long-term vision of a "smart" grid for the country is not at issue here. What is at issue is BGE's specific smart meter proposal to spend almost $1 billion, paid by BGE's customers, risk-free and at a profit to the company, to replace all existing electric and gas meters.

The decision by Maryland's highest court to prohibit the General Assembly from replacing members of the state Public Service Commission is much more than a rebuke of the legislature or a short-term political boost for Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. The court ruling is nothing short of a serious blow to consumers. It means recent efforts to reform the way Maryland regulates power companies have been short-circuited - and that can't be good for anyone's utility bill. The ruling by the Court of Appeals was certainly no endorsement of Chairman Kenneth D. Schisler and his fellow commissioners.

State regulators proposed on Wednesday that Verizon's ability to raise rates on some basic telephone services be directly tied to the telecommunications giant's efforts to improve customer service – a potential outcome that would be a regulatory first in Maryland. The proposed order from the Maryland Public Service Commission comes amidst several ongoing cases dealing with complaints from tens of thousands of customers who experienced lengthy delays in customer service in 2007 and 2008.

We have a great capacity for placing people into categories and minimizing their humanity. One such category is "felons" and another is "drug addicts. " We can easily forget that men and women who have been convicted of crimes or are suffering from substance abuse issues are the same as the rest of us at the core - fallible but resolutely hopeful. Here in Baltimore, a celebration of that capacity for hope and a reminder that redemption comes in many forms took place earlier this year in a small chapel within a church on Cathedral Street.

Sen. Robert A. Zirkin called on a Senate committee Tuesday to approve legislation expanding the state Public Service Commission's role in overseeing the state's interstate natural gas pipelines -- including one running alongside his Owing Mills home. The PSC, however, expressed ambivalence about taking on the broad new role Zirkin envisions -- saying some of his proposals would run afoul of federal law. Zirkin received a hearing on a package of seven bills he has introduced to increase state regulation of the natural gas pipeline industry.

This letter is in response to the article on page 8 of the Laurel Leader dated March 7 , "Rosapepe disappointed by PSC assessment. "  Mr. Rosapepe and Mr. Frosh may be disappointed about the Public Service Commission's decision to not impose a $100 million fine on Pepco and BGE for their slow response last year in restoring power. However I'm not. Here's why:  If Mr. Frosh and Mr. Rosapepe would have been successful in their bid to compel the Public Service Commissioner to impose these huge fines, who would have ultimately paid for these fines?

"Disappointing" is how District 21 state Sen. James Rosapepe, who represents Laurel, described the Public Service Commission's assessment of regional utility companies' response to the derecho storm that hit the area at the end of June. In an order released Feb. 27, the PSC found some fault with the area utility companies' response to the June 29 storm - which left more than a million residents without power, many for several days - but it did not issue the stiff fines that Rosapepe wanted.

State regulators considering Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s request for higher rates will hear this week and next from the people least likely to agree: BGE's ratepayers. So far, though, the volume is hardly deafening: Only one person spoke Monday night at the first of five public hearings about the case. "This is pretty sad," said Julie Grudzinskas of Annapolis after giving the evening's only testimony. "It's pathetic, actually. But I know why more people aren't here. ... It's daunting.

Gov. Martin O'Malley named Maryland's chief utility regulator to the state's intermediate appeals court Friday while elevating a member of the Public Service Commission to be its chairman. O'Malley announced that he has appointed Douglas R.M. Nazarian, who has led the PSC since 2008, to the Court of Special Appeals, which provides the first level of review in most cases appealed from the circuit courts. The governor named W. Kevin Hughes , a longtime gubernatorial aide who has served on the commission since 2011, to the chairmanship.

I found the article about BGE's outages ("Residents lash out at BGE over outages at hearing," July 26) very interesting - as I sat at home reading it by flashlight on Thursday evening. Once again, our neighborhood was without power for several hours. I cannot recall how many times we have lost power, from a few seconds to up to six days (twice), over the last 14 years. In our immediate area it seems to be the same pieces of equipment along the same stretch of lines that are the source of our problems.

The Maryland Public Service Commission's recent decision to charge customers for a 1989 breakdown of Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.'s Crane power plant suggests that it is more understanding of utilities' excuses than of consumer interests.The money involved in this case is small, less than $1 for each customer. The implications of the decision, however, could mean significant charges for consumers in future PSC verdicts.The commission, and its hearing examiner, found BG&E "management action" was responsible for the three-month outage of the Crane generator.

A Defense Department funding bill has made bedfellows of two groups more likely to be found in opposite corners: federal labor and federal contractors. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the Professional Services Council (PSC) object to Section 341 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2013. The Senate approved it last week. They are not alone in opposing the measure, which would require the Pentagon to cut more than $5 billion in planned spending for its civilian and contractor workforces through fiscal 2017.

Maryland's Public Service Commission objected Wednesday to "clandestine" negotiations over a possible change in electricity bidding rules in the region, saying states and consumer advocates had been left out of discussions on a proposal that could drive up prices and hurt reliability. Commission Chairman Douglas R.M. Nazarian sent a letter of complaint to PJM Interconnection - which runs the regional grid - and the grid's independent market monitor. He said PJM facilitated, and both parties participated in, "a secret and exclusionary negotiation" over electricity auctions.