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Heat Still On PEPCO For Outages

August 19, 2010
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By Matt Bush

In Maryland, if one delegate in Montgomery County gets his way, PEPCO could start losing money when the power goes out.

Delegate Brian Feldman is working on a bill for the legislative session next year that would force all power utilities in Maryland to meet service standards. If they don't, the rate those utilities charge customers for power would be reduced. Feldman says currently, utilities do send performance reports to the state public service commission, which PEPCO executives went before this week.

"The only requirement is that PEPCO provide certain reports periodically. There is no set of objective standards to measure their performance. We do know from the hearings they actually underperform their peer group around the country," says Feldman.

Some Montgomery County leaders are asking the public service commission, which sets the rates customers pay for power, to impose the service standards on PEPCO separately from Feldman's bill.

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