The inability of Baltimore Gas and Electric and other parties to talk scheduling at a Monday hearing before the Public Service Commission represents another failure by the commission, said Baltimore City Counsel Ralph Tyler.
Tyler, the only attorney prepared to discuss the hearing scheduled for a possible electric rate cap extension, lashed out at the commission after it postponed the issue until Friday or Monday.
“They aren?t interested in giving people more time unless they can use that as a tactic,” Tyler said after the meeting. “This has been an ineffective commission.”
The hearing was the first step in revisiting the controversial 72 percent electric rate increase the commission approved for Baltimore Gas and Electric earlier this year. On May 30, Baltimore Circuit Judge Albert J. Matricciani Jr. threw out a rate phase-in plan orchestrated by the commission and Gov. Robert Ehrlich, effectively sending the commission back to the drawing board.
Representatives of BGE, the commission and other parties said they had tried, though not very hard, to meet and discuss a schedule before Monday?s hearing, but did not bring their date books. Commission attorney Lloyd Spivak said he made an “abortive” attempt to meet with other representatives, and Tyler said BGE canceled its appointment and did not reschedule.
“There?s no reason this commission can?t decide today when to move forward,” said Patricia Smith, of the Officeof the People?s Counsel.
The commission asked all parties to hash out a schedule by Thursday. Otherwise, commissioners might impose a schedule on them, said commission spokeswoman Christine Nizer. Commission Chairman Kenneth Schisler said they should be prepared to hold another scheduling hearing, possibly Friday.
He also set Thursday as a deadline for filing briefs in response to Tyler?s memo that the commission has the authority to impose a temporary rate cap extension or any other matters. Schisler acknowledged that the Maryland General Assembly might change everything when it returns to Annapolis for a special session on the rate increase Wednesday.
