Leggett Appeals Pepco Rate Increase Decision
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has released the following statement about his decision to appeal the recent approval of a Pepco rate increase:
“Today, I have instructed the County Attorney to file an appeal in Montgomery County Circuit Court to stop the recent ruling by the Maryland Public Service Commission approving a $27 million rate increase for Pepco and, on top of that, an automatic ‘Grid Resiliency Charge’ that will allow Pepco to automatically pass along charges to customers every month without having to seek a rate increase with the Public Service Commission.
“I believe that Pepco has made improvements in their communications, infrastructure, and emergency response systems since last summer’s ‘Derecho’ storm. However, just how improved these changes are have not yet been seriously tested. That’s why granting even less than half of the $60 million requested by Pepco is premature and unwise.
“The Public Service Commission’s decision to allow Pepco, for the first time, to charge customers a ‘Grid Resiliency Charge’ every month is troubling. Even if limited to certain costs just now, it is a terrible precedent.
“I’m proud of the work done by our County Attorney’s office in aggressively opposing this rate increase, as well as the work our County has done both with Pepco and, conversely, pressuring Pepco to make the utility more accountable to the County residents and businesses that pay the bills.
“We will continue our ongoing efforts to make sure that Montgomery County gets reliable energy at a reasonable cost. This rate increase – and especially the automatic so-called ‘Grid Resiliency Charge’ – does not help and should not stand.”
Powerupmontcco commends the County Executive on his decisive stand to have the county pursue an appeal of the Maryland Public Service Commissions decision in Case No. 9311. The Commissions decision to authorize a tracker for PEPCO reverses years of precedent by the Commission denying trackers for utility companies. Bravo Mr. Leggett!