Psc

The woman who says she represents North American Power is not telling the truth about the benefits of buying electricity from her company. "You can save up to 10, 15, 20 percent of your bill, depending on your usage," she says in a telemarketing call to my house. But the rate she eventually quotes is only about 7 percent less than the standard price offered by Baltimore Gas & Electric — something the average customer would have no way of knowing. And of course the percentage savings won't vary even if my "usage" goes up to that of a steel mill.

Smart meter opponents asked state regulators at a hearing Tuesday to allow ratepayers to say "no" to new digital, wireless devices because of safety, privacy and security concerns. The Maryland Public Service Commission is considering whether utilities should permit customers to reject smart meters and keep their existing devices. The state's three largest utilities — Baltimore Gas and Electric, Pepco and Delmarva — are replacing millions of old electric and gas meters with new devices providing real-time data to consumers and utilities.

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.

The Maryland Public Service Commission turned down a request Wednesday that would have allowed taxi companies to put security cameras instead of bullet-resistant shields in Baltimore cabs as a form of protection. Baltimore Taxi Affiliation Services, which has 100 taxis under the Arrow Cab and Baltimore City Taxi names, asked the PSC in December to change a state regulation that requires protective guards in city cabs. Shields became mandatory in the city in 1995. During an administrative meeting Wednesday, Norma Reyes, a senior executive vice president with Baltimore Taxi, argued that the shields make the smaller, more fuel-efficient cars now being leased to drivers too cramped and uncomfortable, especially during 12-hour shifts.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Gov. Martin O'Malley is pushing state energy regulators to consider renewable energy resources and to allow utilities to own plants again in their efforts to seek potential new power generation at cost-controlled prices. To prevent potential blackouts and reduce Maryland's reliance on out-of-state electricity, the Public Service Commission last month ordered the state's utilities, including Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., to seek proposals for companies that would build natural gas plants in return for guaranteed power purchases by the utilities.

Maryland regulators approved Constellation Energy Group's sale to Chicago-based Exelon Corp. on Friday, setting the stage for Baltimore to lose its last Fortune 500 company to an out-of-state owner. Exelon promptly accepted the terms imposed by the Maryland Public Service Commission, which means the $7.9 billion deal is one huge step closer to completion. The PSC's approval came with several dozen conditions that largely mirrored concessions the companies had previously promised, most recently under a $1 billion settlement with Gov. Martin O'Malley and the state.

Maryland energy regulators are expected to issue a decision Friday on the proposed sale of Constellation Energy Group to Chicago-based Exelon Corp. The decision comes after the state Public Service Commission launched an exhaustive review of the $7.9 billion deal, involving 13 days of hearings, three public comment sessions and thousands of pages of documents. Analysts think that the proposed merger hinges on approval by Maryland regulators. The deal also still requires approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

As a BGE ratepayer, I'm strongly opposed to the Constellation-Exelon merger ("O'Malley praises Exelon-CEG deal," Dec. 16). For the third time since 2007, Constellation CEO Mayo Shattuck has been trying to engineer a buyout or merger of Constellation while doubling costs to BGE ratepayers, this time with a $13.4 million payday for himself. The primary legal responsibility of the Maryland Public Service Commission, as state Sens. E.J. Pipkin and James C. Rosepepe noted in a letter to agency, is to protect the best interests of BGE ratepayers.

By Maryland law, for the merger of Exelon and Constellation Energy to be permissible, it must be shown to cause no harm, and to benefit Baltimore Gas & Electric ratepayers and the public interest. Because, to date, Exelon has yet to offer a proposal that sufficiently meets these three thresholds, my administration cannot support the merger at this time. While the state of Maryland stands to lose 600 jobs post-merger, Constellation executives stand to make $34 million off the transaction.

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.

You might have seen the news footage of the guy in the orange construction vest who a couple of weeks back angrily yelled at the Occupy Baltimore encampment that he was "working his butt off to support you guys," apparently referring to the unemployed among them. If he really wanted to protest where his tax money may be going, he could have walked a couple of blocks from McKeldin Square. The findings of a new study indicate that because of corporate tax breaks, rebates and loopholes, many Fortune 500 companies pay little or no federal income taxes on their profits.

The Maryland Public Service Commission turned down a request Wednesday that would have allowed taxi companies to put security cameras instead of bullet-resistant shields in Baltimore cabs as a form of protection. Baltimore Taxi Affiliation Services, which has 100 taxis under the Arrow Cab and Baltimore City Taxi names, asked the PSC in December to change a state regulation that requires protective guards in city cabs. Shields became mandatory in the city in 1995. During an administrative meeting Wednesday, Norma Reyes, a senior executive vice president with Baltimore Taxi, argued that the shields make the smaller, more fuel-efficient cars now being leased to drivers too cramped and uncomfortable, especially during 12-hour shifts.

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.

Top executives of Constellation Energy Group and Exelon Corp. faced questions about reliability, local management of Baltimore Gas and Electric, and corporate governance Monday at the start of what is expected to be an exhaustive regulatory review of the proposed $7.9 billion merger of the two energy giants. Constellation Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Mayo A. Shattuck III and Exelon Chief Operating Officer Christopher M. Crane took the stand together during daylong questioning by an attorney representing the state and the Maryland Energy Administration.