Howard County officials still want the county to form an energy cooperative for its residents, despite legislation that delays the plans.
“We should move forward with the resolution, even if we may not enact it until much later,” said Council Member Kenneth Ulman, D-District 4, at a public hearing Monday.
He created aCounty Council bill to petition the Maryland Public Service Commission, a utility regulation agency, for the right to form a cooperative, which would allow county residents to save money on electricity by purchasing it in bulk.
State legislation, agreed to by lawmakers and utility executives, will create a 15 percent cap on the looming electricity price increase and fire the members of the Public Service Commission. Gov. Robert Ehrlich may sign it Thursday.
Because of the legislative change, a cooperative for Howard County residents could not be enacted until next spring, said Richard Anderson, co-founder of CQI Associates LLC, a consulting firm hired by the Columbia Association to form a cooperative for its residents and businesses.
One community leader urged the council to continue planning the cooperative.
“When the rate increases reach 72 percent in the next two years, it will create a burden for many folks, whose financial situation is fragile,” said Roy Appletree, president of the Association of Community Services of Howard County, a network of 150 local advocacy groups.
What?s next
» The County Council will vote on a bill that would petition the state for the ability to create an energy cooperative at 7:30 p.m. July 3 in the Ellicott Room of the George Howard Building on Court House Drive in Columbia.
