[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6546067,"mediaKeyId","3847948-16d69d25a13fa53274bb7e9818c88a49","parentId",3847948,"title","Maryland PSC approves consent agenda items; accepts Maryland Water Service UFW reconciliation with small customer credits and surcharge","audioSeconds",413,"startMs",1049000,"endMs",1462000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3847948-16d69d25a13fa53274bb7e9818c88a49&start=1049&end=1462","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3847948-16d69d25a13fa53274bb7e9818c88a49/thumbnail_1049000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6546067/Maryland/Maryland-PSC-approves-consent-agenda-items-accepts-Maryland-Water-Service-UFW-reconciliation-with-small-customer-credits-and-surcharge","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6546067-a401975552c936301011d6b7b33239c5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137067&Signature=hlFmWCC~ZZdctTsKuW4WZbUlFSn0oI1Hd9XMS0aaxoMZkQVFyS7GK5fkSKN0lipGBY~VnPR4nUwtYjifmSZCn~kHFtPgZ67C6cYmg3-6jIhPtZ5zC6Eyrkug7asQ-RnQN517JtDjTCV-KdyaTpq1izsY05MwmpkmBFKq1qZZrg1rB4l2yyIhU-GPaaj09YbOti967fj-p1YN6zEBuFO6-5Xb8MUAd2tRBSz2mpsawscNeTcU4a7Go7v-mMJ34eAvPKTov~Mc51VLuqxEXfZWHZzdY401vOnSQDscRa7q7wudww9cRS-WEOL9yG8yrWBrmy1Xjs52u5pO0dQp59LTFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Public Service Commission, MD","date","2025-05-27T12:35:38.973Z","article","The Maryland Public Service Commission on May 21 approved a five-item consent agenda and accepted Maryland Water Service Inc.’s 2024 unaccounted-for-water (UFW) surcharge reconciliations for two small systems.

Consent agenda: Chair Hoover announced five items on the consent agenda: (1) Live Energy Inc.’s request to amend its electricity supplier license to remove a limitation that restricted the company to broker services for residential customers; (2) notice filings by PEG BandwidthMD LLC and Unity National LLC of participation in financing arrangements; (3) tariff revisions filed by Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) and (4) Delmarva Power and Light Company, both to be effective June 1, 2025; and (5) Synergen Panorama 3 LLC’s request for an extension of its operational deadline for a community solar project. The motions to approve or note the filings carried unanimously on recorded voice votes.

Maryland Water Service reconciliation: Lucy Shea of commission staff and Barbara Webber of the engineering division presented staff’s review of Maryland Water Service’s 2024 UFW reconciliation filings for the Pinto and Highland Estates water systems. Staff reported Pinto’s adjusted UFW percentage for 2024 was 2% and Highland Estates’ was 5%. Staff concluded that, under the stipulation and settlement in Case 9212, the company met its goal of keeping annual adjusted UFW at or below 20% in both systems for 2024.

Staff recommended the commission accept Maryland Water Service’s filing and proposed tariff revisions effective May 1, 2025. Under the accepted filing, Pinto customers will receive a one-time $18.21 credit for 2024 overcollection, and Highland Estates customers will see a 12-month surcharge of $1.79 per 1,000 gallons to recover an undercollection. Max Cook, representing Maryland Water Service, said the company had reviewed staff’s filing and had nothing further to add. A motion to accept the tariff provisions and allow the company to issue the credit and surcharge carried with recorded aye votes.

Votes at a glance:
- Item 1 — Live Energy Inc., license amendment: motion to grant; outcome: approved (recorded voice votes: Commissioners Linton, Suchman, Barbet, Richard and Chair Hoover recorded as voting aye).
- Item 2 — PEG BandwidthMD LLC and Unity National LLC financing notices: motion to note filing; outcome: noted/approved (recorded voice votes: Linton, Suchman, Barbet, Richard and Chair Hoover aye).
- Item 3 — Pepco tariff revisions: accept for filing effective 06/01/2025; outcome: approved (recorded voice votes: Linton, Suchman, Barbet, Richard and Chair Hoover aye).
- Item 4 — Delmarva Power and Light tariff revisions: accept for filing effective 06/01/2025; outcome: approved (recorded voice votes: Linton, Suchman, Barbet, Richard and Chair Hoover aye).
- Item 5 — Synergen Panorama 3 LLC operational deadline extension for community solar: grant waiver until 07/15/2026; outcome: approved (recorded voice votes: Linton, Suchman, Barbet, Richard and Chair Hoover aye).
- Administrative item — Maryland Water Service Inc., 2024 UFW reconciliation (Pinto, Highland Estates): accept filing and tariff revisions effective 05/01/2025; outcome: approved. Action allows a one-time $18.21 credit to each Pinto customer and a 12-month volumetric surcharge of $1.79 per 1,000 gallons for Highland Estates customers.

Why it matters: The water-company action corrects an overcollection in Pinto and addresses undercollection in Highland Estates while remaining within the settlement threshold for unaccounted-for water. The consent agenda items streamline routine regulatory business, including tariff filings and a community-solar operational-deadline extension.

What’s next: The consent items and the water-company tariff changes take effect as noted in the motions. The commission will continue to monitor filings and compliance per normal staff processes.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Administrative Meeting - 05/21/2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its May 21 administrative meeting the Maryland Public Service Commission approved five consent-agenda items including supplier license and tariff revisions and granted a community-solar operational-deadline extension; the commission also accepted Maryland Water Service Inc.’s 2024 unaccounted-for-water reconciliation for two small systems and approved tariff changes to issue a small customer credit and a temporary surcharge.","taxTitle","Public Service Commission, Independent Agencies, Organizations, Executive, Maryland","taxId",80344,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6546071,"BGE asks Maryland PSC to waive CPCN for short 115 kV line reroutes at Riverside; commissioners raise prudency and scope concerns",1216,1221000,4138,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3847948-16d69d25a13fa53274bb7e9818c88a49&start=1221&end=4","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3847948-16d69d25a13fa53274bb7e9818c88a49/thumbnail_1221000.jpg","/articles/6546071/Maryland/BGE-asks-Maryland-PSC-to-waive-CPCN-for-short-115-kV-line-reroutes-at-Riverside-commissioners-raise-prudency-and-scope-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6546071-cfdf57956aff49774af808bb5336cb92/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137067&Signature=mMgx25KIqw2Uex-ccMxm2x49xNoxjSOwFoQIzDNTzQh8ZaNRzQtVNTySkb5MfbS9OJeu01AWaPpqvYJ838HginQvNrUYTXP~1zN4Mnt2HdoEXvjHjtp9QUNsvSuB0akVeJHFClRLF~gI5nX1-wLzZ~1jEqsqoY~-KDa97QUvyzOq9wcIc2UcThZmdhggGRfFEQHZR7Pp6iYIoeYgNfZLApR6M0WCxRCUPJwbfZyYDB4hZplw92vLQmeTH5WWDpwqFQ2KJNekmNQwN5wPVeVLxX5vWlrFYUq5iqiMu93q~Q91rUQDU7celXu5geDXUHXerivF8m-drn70jvcX9vhV1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. on May 21 asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to find that a project to reroute short segments of eight existing 115 kV overhead transmission lines within BGE’s Riverside property qualifies for a mandatory waiver of the requirement to obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN). Staff recommended the commission grant the mandatory waiver; commissioners responded with detailed questions about whether the company’s request should instead be treated as discretionary or referred for fuller review.

Roger Austin, presenting for staff, said the transmission-line rerouting ‘‘qualifies for a mandatory waiver of the CPCN requirements’’ under the Public Utilities Article’s waiver provisions and that staff had reviewed BGE’s filing and the statutory tests. Austin said the estimated cost for the transmission-line rerouting is approximately $4,700,000 and that the related new 115 kV gas-insulated substation would cost about $85,000,000, with all costs allocated to BGE ratepayers.

Commissioners repeatedly asked whether the committee should treat the request as a narrow mandatory waiver limited to the overhead transmission reroutes or consider the entire, larger project — including demolition of an existing 34 kV yard and construction of a new 115 kV gas-insulated substation — because those broader elements affect prudency, timing and the total cost to ratepayers. Commissioner Richard pressed staff and company witnesses on the overall picture, saying the commission is receiving multiple expensive projects and needs to understand how this project fits into the broader regional plan. Richard warned that piecemeal filings can prevent the commission from reviewing a project as a whole.

Michael Dean, staff counsel, told the commission it could determine the filing does not fall under either the mandatory or discretionary waiver provisions and require a CPCN for the whole project if commissioners so wished. Several commissioners asked how long a discretionary review would take; staff estimated ‘‘several months’’ if a fuller evaluation were required.

Company counsel Crystal Barnett thanked staff for the analysis and said BGE is available to answer questions. John Strawbridge, BGE senior project manager, described the technical constraints: the utility plans to build the new 115 kV gas-insulated switchyard on the footprint of an existing 34 kV yard so the existing 115 kV yard cannot be taken entirely out of service during construction. That approach, the company said, requires rerouting eight transmission lines and the removal of multiple existing towers; a company representative said approximately 22 towers will be removed or replaced as part of the work.

Barnett and company witnesses confirmed the project was submitted to PJM and approved as a supplemental project and that permitting and environmental review would follow standard permitting processes. Barnett also said the company has retained a community outreach firm (Aceto) and that it had not received community opposition to date; she added the company will complete an environmental impact evaluation as part of permitting.

Several commissioners emphasized that prudency review of transmission-level projects occurs at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and that the state commission’s forum for a prudency challenge is limited. As Michael Dean explained, ‘‘any prudency questions should be raised with FERC’’ because the transmission-level components and substation sit in the federal regulatory forum, though the commission retains discretion to require a CPCN in particular circumstances.

Given the number of outstanding questions about scope, timing and cost containment, the commission did not decide the waiver at the meeting. Chair Hoover told participants the commission would ‘‘take this under advisement’’ and may ask additional questions of staff and the company before issuing a decision.

Why it matters: commissioners flagged concerns that approving a narrow waiver for the overhead-line reroutes could allow a larger, more expensive project to proceed with limited state-level scrutiny. The commission must balance the statutory waiver standard with its duty to protect ratepayers from imprudent costs. BGE’s filings and staff’s recommendation establish a starting record; commissioners signaled they may pursue additional information or a fuller review before deciding whether to grant the waiver.

What’s next: staff said it will continue monitoring the project, the company said permitting and environmental work remains, and the commission said it will take the record under advisement and may request further materials or a discretionary review before issuing a final ruling.

","Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. sought a mandatory waiver of the certificate of public convenience and necessity on May 21 so it can reroute eight 115 kV transmission lines at its Riverside property; staff recommended granting the waiver but commissioners raised questions about scope, prudency review and total cost and took the matter under advisement.","actionData","errors"]

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Maryland PSC approves consent agenda items; accepts Maryland Water Service UFW reconciliation with small customer credits and surcharge

BGE asks Maryland PSC to waive CPCN for short 115 kV line reroutes at Riverside; commissioners raise prudency and scope concerns