The Public Service Commission may have already admitted to violating its own procedures and state laws during its deliberations over electricity rate increases, according to a letter sent to the state?s top lawmakers late Thursday night.
County Executives Janet Owens, James Robey and Jim Smith, of Anne Arundel, Howard and Baltimore counties, respectively, sent the letter to Gov. Robert Ehrlich, House Speaker Mike Busch and Senate President Mike Miller.
The letter called for an immediate special General Assembly session to replace the entire Public Service Commission board.
The letter also referred to motions filed by the PSC and Baltimore Gas and Electric in the lawsuit brought by Baltimore City. Smith said those motions, which asked Circuit Court Judge Albert Matricciani to send the rate increase back to the PSC for a rehearing, implied that the board had acknowledged wrongdoing.
“There?s almost no point in asking the judge to rule in this case if the PSC has admitted to not following procedures,” Smith said.
Earlier this year, the PSC approved BGE?s request for a 72 percent rate increase effective July 1. The electricity company said the increase was necessary to bring rates up to market averages after years of caps.
But the PSC came under fire for violating open meetings laws, refusing to hold a second hearing and refusing to allow proper examination of witnesses.
Baltimore City filed a lawsuit to prevent BGE from advertising the new rates. Matricciani is scheduled to hold another hearing in the case Tuesday.
Owens, who has announced her candidacy for state comptroller, said she discussed joining Baltimore City?s lawsuit, but “didn?t think it was the right venue for Anne Arundel County.”
“I thought it was too narrow,” she said. “The only people who can fix this are the governor, the speaker and the president.”
Smith and Owens said the move was “not political,” and Smith said he was not aiming at any one particular PSC member, but rather the entire board.
“If there is a rehearing, the public has got to have confidence that the decision was made in an impartial way,” Smith said.
