Pepco Bill Heard Today

Parliamentarian, Maryland House of Delegates
Chair, Montgomery County House Delegation
Member, Economic Matters Committee
House Chair, Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee
Chair, House Banking, Economic Development, Science and Technology Subcommittee

Dear Friends,

Despite promises from Pepco over the past year, thousands of Montgomery County residents, businesses and schools continue to be adversely affected by repeated power outages.  It became apparent to me that several gaps exist in the current Maryland regulatory system regarding electricity service delivery in our State.  As a result, I collaborated with Governor O'Malley and Montgomery County Councilmember Roger Berliner to craft House Bill 391, the Maryland Electricity Service Quality and Reliability Act.   This emergency legislation, which has 40 co-sponsors, requires the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) to implement new, sorely needed, electricity reliability standards for Maryland electric companies, including Pepco.  Under the bill, electric companies will face severe economic penalties if they fail to meet these new standards, with penalties credited back to impacted customers. 

The public hearing on HB 391 took place today. I presented the bill to the Economic Matters Committee and was supported by testimony from the PSC Chair, Doug Nazarian, House Majority Leader Delegate Kumar Barve, Councilmember Roger Berliner and Governor O'Malley's legislative team. With numerous witnesses from the public testifying in support of the bill, the hearing lasted over two hours.  It concluded with a surprise concession from Pepco's Regional President, Thomas Graham, stating that the bill is "tough but fair." 

I am optimistic that House Bill 391 will receive bi-partisan support when it is voted on by both the Committee and full General Assembly in the next several weeks.  I will continue to keep you updated as the bill moves through the legislative process. 

As always, I value your input and if you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at Brian.Feldman@house.state.md.us or call me at 301-858-3186.

Sincerely,

Brian J. Feldman