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Maryland Public Service Commission
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The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent administrative agency within the state government which regulates public utilities and certain taxi cab and other passenger services in Maryland. Similar to other state Public Utilities Commissions, the Maryland PSC regulates and sets tariff rates for natural gas, electricity distribution, local telephone, water, and sewage disposal companies. The PSC also sets the tariff rates for pilot services for vessals and privately owned toll bridges, approves the construction of electric generating plants and overhead transmission lines, and licenses retail natural gas and electricity suppliers.[1] The PSC offices are located in Baltimore in the William Donald Schaefer Building.
The PSC has an independent division of hearing examiners to hear contested cases and issue proposed orders. Final orders are issued by the Commission and are subject to judicial review in the state circuit courts.
Public Service Commission Commissioners
The five PSC commissioners serving staggered terms are appointed by the Governor and approved by the Maryland General Assembly. By statute the commissioners must be representative of the state's regions and demographics. The current commissioners are Douglas R. M. Nazarian (chairman), Harold D. Williams, Allen M. Freifeld, Susanne Brogan, and Lawrence Brenner.[2]
History
Supported by a plank in the Maryland Democratic Party platform to enact a regulatory utility law and by Governor Austin Crothers, the PSC was established in 1910.[3] The initial purpose of the PSC was to fix the rates of steam railroads, street railways, ferries, toll bridges, and gas, electric, heating, water, telegraph, telephone, and water utilities.[3]
In 1999, legislation titled the Electric Customer Choice and Competition Act of 1999 was enacted to resturcture the electric industry and electric generation was deregulated.
Electric generating plants
Although the PSC, as a result of the 1999 deregulation of the state electric industry, no longer regulates the cost of electricity generated in plants located in Maryland, it still is responsible for the approval of the construction or modification of any new electric generating plants.[4] An application to construct a new plant is approved by the PSC following a contested case proceeding based upon the recommendations of various state agencies regarding the proposed plant's effects upon the environment, economy, stability of the electric transmission system, and air safety.[4] If the proposed project meets the statutory criteria, the PSC will issue a certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing the construction or modification of the generating station.[4] Small generating plants, including emergency generators, are approved using an abbreviated process.
Although there are approximately 40 generating plants that provide power for customers in the state, Maryland imports about 30% of its electricity from neighboring states.[5]
Base load coal and nuclear generating plants generate the greater portion of electricity in Maryland, with coal-fired plants producing 60.1% of electric generation in 2006 and nuclear plants 28.3%.[5] In 2007 the PSC reported that 67% of the electric generating capacity in the state came from plants that were over thirty years old.[5]
References
See also
Category:Energy resource facilities in Maryland
External links
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