Public Service Commission

Victor Cushwa, a member of the Public Service Commission and former state senator from Western Maryland whose booming voice helped make him a familiar figure in Annapolis, died Monday at Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown after a yearlong battle with lung cancer. He was 66.Services for Mr. Cushwa will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hagerstown.Gov. William Donald Schaefer appointed Cushwa to a five-year term on the PSC in July 1990 after Cushwa resigned from the state Senate seat he had held since 1977.

In the Dunloggin, Beaverbrook and Font Hill neighborhoods of Howard County, residents say they've spent thousands on home generators and on food to replace the stuff that spoils when the power goes out for days. There have also been other expenses, they say: motel stays, flashlights, lanterns, gas hot plates and long, heavy-duty extension cords - the kind used to hook up to a neighbor's generator. "You see people running across the street with extension cords," said Cathy Eshmont, who lives in Dunloggin, one of several Ellicott City neighborhoods where residents say they've contended for years with frequent power failures.

THE OUTRAGE of the 11 households in the Bramble Hills subdivision near Westminster whose water utility rates skyrocketed 900 percent overnight is understandable. Homes were cut off by the private water company, before state intervention forced reconnection.One can also understand the problem faced by the new owner of the communal well: bills long unpaid by some users and unexpected expenses for one of the tiniest private water utilities in Maryland.The episode, though small in scope, highlights an important fact: safe, reliable drinking water is not free.

"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.

A court decision expected to improve the progress of a $10.8 billion merger between Baltimore's Constellation Energy Group and a Florida utility instead has made it more difficult. Yesterday, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that the legislature could not remove members of the Public Service Commission as a law had ordered this summer. But the court did not address a portion of the legislation that prohibits the sitting commission from taking final action on the merger. That means the commissioners can keep their jobs, but they can't rule on the merger, according to lawyers who quickly reviewed the opinion yesterday for The Sun. But what it means for the companies is still unclear.

An article yesterday about the state Public Service Commission approving the entry of a new local telephone service to Maryland incorrectly spelled the name of MFS Intelenet Inc.The Sun regrets the error.

The Columbia Association has received approval from the Public Service Commission to discount fares on Columbia buses (ColumBus) for teens enrolled as full-time students in the county school system.A one-year identification card will entitle students to 25 cents off the fare.The total family income must meet the Housing Urban Development Section 8 guidelines.

Were officials correct to disqualify a cross country athlete from Hereford High School for a minor uniform violation, costing his school a first place finish? Yes 27% No 67% Not sure 6% (1,239 votes, results not scientific) Next poll: : Will the deal allowing Constellation Energy to sell half its nuclear business to the French EDF Group - approved by the Public Service Commission last week and the companies Monday - be good for Maryland? Vote at baltimoresun.

BRADDOCK HEIGHTS -- Frederick County government temporarily has taken over operation of one of the county's last private water companies while Maryland's Public Service Commission mulls the small utility's future.Owners of Braddock Water Co., which serves about 350 customers atop Braddock Mountain, west of Frederick, withdrew from the operation last week after dropping their appeal of a Public Service Commission decision to revoke the utility's franchise.In a rare move, the PSC decided to withdraw the water company's franchise in September after the utility failed to satisfy a December 1992 order that it secure leases to water sources, fix a damaged water storage tank roof and bury water lines to protect them from freezing and breaking in the winter.

I don't understand why utilities are asking for or would be granted the right to charge ratepayers to fund capital improvements like replacing aging infrastructure ("Utility surcharge bill advances in Senate," Feb. 6). Haven't we ratepayers been paying for these depreciating assets all along over their lifetimes? Isn't it the responsibility of the owners (stockholders, etc.) to provide capital? Why should ratepayers be "taxed" to cover costs that are rightly the responsibility of owners?

State regulators investigating widespread, long-lasting outages from the derecho last summer ordered Maryland utilities Wednesday to take steps to improve reliability - and signaled a willingness to add penalties for "sub-standard performance. " But the Maryland Public Service Commission warned that substantial upgrades to the electrical distribution system would come at a cost to consumers. It directed power companies to outline by May 31 how they could speed up improvements in the next five years, along with an analysis of expenses and benefits.

I don't understand why utilities are asking for or would be granted the right to charge ratepayers to fund capital improvements like replacing aging infrastructure ("Utility surcharge bill advances in Senate," Feb. 6). Haven't we ratepayers been paying for these depreciating assets all along over their lifetimes? Isn't it the responsibility of the owners (stockholders, etc.) to provide capital? Why should ratepayers be "taxed" to cover costs that are rightly the responsibility of owners?

Maryland's utility regulator Friday criticized a decision that could alter electricity bidding rules in the region, saying the change would hurt consumers. The state Public Service Commission is upset with the proposed changes that PJM Interconnection, which runs the regional electric grid, is filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission after the PJM board voted in favor of the move this week. PJM electricity auctions, held to ensure there is enough power to meet demand, set a price that feeds into consumers' electricity bills in Maryland, a dozen other states and the District of Columbia.

The $113.5 million that Exelon Corp. agreed to make available for innovative projects — a condition of regulatory approval for its purchase of Constellation Energy in Baltimore — was awarded Thursday to groups planning to help low-income customers, small businesses and others lower their energy bills. Exelon's Maryland regulator, the Public Service Commission, decided how to distribute the money after receiving 98 proposals. Baltimore will receive the largest single piece of the fund — nearly $53 million will go to the city government for projects to permanently lower energy bills through energy efficiency work such as weatherization, upgrades and lower-usage education.

Gov. Martin O'Malley did an excellent job appointing a competent and independent Public Service Commission to look at the issues around utility fee structures in Maryland. The PSC sees the whole picture when they review a company's request for a rate increase, and the public relies on them to review the performance and profits of the utility companies - their independence should not be compromised. AARP does not support the recommendations released recently by a work group to allow power companies to add surcharges to utility bills in order to fund reliability and enhancement improvements ("A worthy investment," Oct. 4)

Four major electricity providers defended the safety of "smart meters" Tuesday at a hearing called by the Maryland Public Service Commission after commissioners read reports of similar meters overheating and catching fire in Southeastern Pennsylvania. "We've had five cases so far where the temperature threshold was exceeded," said Michael Butts, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s director of business transformation. He said BGE has installed 65,000 of the advanced meters. In all five cases, the overheating was detected by sensors in the meters and BGE was alerted, he said.

Constellation Energy Group's pending $4.5 billion deal to sell half of its nuclear power business to France's largest utility is one step closer to completion. The New York State Public Service Commission approved the acquisition Tuesday, saying that "no potential for harm exists" regarding market power or other negative effects for New York ratepayers. Besides Calvert Cliffs in Lusby, Constellation also owns Nine Mile Point Nuclear Unit I and II in Oswego, N.Y., and R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario, N.Y. The approval by New York energy regulators is the latest regulatory hurdle the Baltimore company has cleared since agreeing to the deal with Electricite de France.

Constellation Energy Group appealed Monday a court ruling dismissing the utility's lawsuit accusing Maryland regulators of overstepping their authority in investigating a deal to sell half its nuclear power business to a French utility. The legal move before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals comes a week after a Baltimore Circuit Court judge ruled that it is premature for Constellation to challenge a continuing review process under the Maryland Public Service Commission. Judge Stuart R. Berger did not rule on the merits of Constellation's argument that the regulatory review is not required under state law. "We are simply preserving our legal rights in the future," Constellation spokesman Rob Gould said.

The news that a Southeast Pennsylvania utility company has suspended "smart meter" installations following reports that some have overheated and caused fires has prompted the Maryland Public Service Commission to schedule a public hearing Tuesday to discuss the safety of the new meters, which are being installed by utilities throughout Maryland. "Smart Meters really have me concerned even more so than before," Del. Glen Glass, a Republican who represents Harford and Cecil counties, said in a statement Monday.

About 50 residents of Anne Arundel County and surrounding areas gathered at a Public Service Commission hearing Monday night in Annapolis to voice their frustrations withBaltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s response to the June 29 derecho storm. They railed against the company, accusing it of failing to restore power to their homes for days after the deadly, quick-moving storm, providing them with little information as to when power would return and failing to upgrade dated infrastructure in their neighborhoods.