Utility Regulator Schedules Public Hearings After Derecho

Maryland's utility regulator has scheduled hearings across the state to hear from residents about their experiences with the utilities during the powerful storm that .

The Maryland Public Service Commission will hear testimony from Maryland residents in mid-August in locations including Towson, Frederick, Ellicott City and Baltimore.

Residents who wish to submit written testimony may do so by Sept. 10. Mail comments to: David J. Collins, Executive Secretary, Maryland Public Service Commission, William Donald Schaefer Tower, 6 St. Paul Street, 16th Floor, Baltimore, Maryland 21202.

, officials said that utilities needed to improve performance, readiness and disclose outage information when the government requested it.

The letter, attached, was signed by Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and the executives of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

asking that utility companies improve communications during outages and modernize their delivery systems so that outages might be decreased in the future.

During the storm, more than three quarters of a million Maryland residents lost power. In all, 19 deaths were reported statewide during the 12 days of extreme heat following the storm, which moved into Maryland the night of June 30, the Baltimore Sun reported.  

The PSC scheduled eight hearings in all to hear from customers of four major utilities: BGE, PEPCO, Potomac Edison Company and Southwestern Maryland Electric Cooperation, Inc. A full list of dates and locations is available online.

Read Patch’s coverage of the powerful “derecho” storm and its aftermath:

• Day 4 Without Power, Thousands in Howard County Wait

• PHOTOS: Derecho’s aftermath in Howard and Carroll Counties

• Close Calls with Carbon Monoxide in Ellicott City

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