Utilities

"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 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.

A million residential customers could see an extra few dollars added each month to their utility bills. The General Assembly gave final passage Thursday to a bill to allow two large utilities to impose a surcharge of up to $2 a month on residential customers to speed a program of replacing aging gas pipelines. By a vote of 116-19, the House of Delegates approved the Senate bill, sending the measure to Gov. Martin O'Malley, who has not said whether he will sign it. The legislation would authorize the Public Service Commission to approve the surcharge on the bills of customers of BGE and Washington Gas Light.

Crews have completed repairs to a leaking water main that had slowed traffic along Park Heights Avenue and Old Court Road in Pikesville, according to public works officials. The repairs were completed about 11 p.m. Wednesday, said Kurt Kocher, a Baltimore City public works spokesman. State highway officials had cautioned motorists to expect major delays near Old Court Road and Park Heights Avenue as crews worked to repair the main. The water main is located on Old Court. Public works crews closed several lanes in the area, including access to southbound Park Heights Avenue south of Old Court, according to the State Highway Administration.

Port officials have asked the state Public Utilities Commission to set a flat rate for taxi services to and from the cruise ship terminal and three popular city locations. James White, executive director of the Maryland Port Administration, said passengers — many from out of state — have complained "that they are being overcharged and that taxi drivers are not turning their meters on. " He asked the commission to set a fare for trips to Fort McHenry, Pennsylvania Station and the Inner Harbor in the same way it established a $30 flat rate for fares to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

When Maryland utilities replace their gas pipelines, customers have had to fork out extra money afterward — not during. But that's poised to change. Both chambers of Maryland's General Assembly, citing safety concerns, approved measures this month that would make it easier for utilities to add infrastructure surcharges of up to $2 a month to natural-gas customers' bills. It's the latest push in a tug of war over the best and fairest way to replace the nation's aging utility infrastructure, the price tag for which has been estimated in the trillions of dollars.

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?

A bill that would allow a surcharge of up to $2 a month on residential utility bills to pay for new gas pipelines appears to be advancing on a fast track in the General Assembly. The legislation would let the Maryland Public Service Commission grant the surcharge so utilities such as BGE could speed up replacement of aging pipelines. The state Senate gave preliminary approval to the measure Tuesday after a lively debate; the House of Delegates approved it Monday. Final votes on the measure, which appears likely to pass, are expected by the end of the week.

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.

Police have reopened the 12900 block of Fork Road in Baldwin Tuesday morning after a several-hour closure caused by a car accident that brought down utility wires. Baltimore County Police Corporal John Wachter said Verizon repair crews are working between Cherry Hill Road and Abels Avenue, but traffic can now pass through. The motorist was driving on Fork Road at about 5:50 a.m. when he struck a utility pole, Wachter said. The motorist was not taken to the hospital, he said. No other cars were involved in the crash, Wachter said.