Commission staff on April 23 presented an engineering-division report that identified concerns about inspections and supervisory oversight connected to Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.’s (BG&E) gas system programs. The Public Service Commission indicated it will issue an order to determine whether to open a separate docket and whether to commission an independent audit; parties took differing positions on scope and necessity.

What staff reported
John Clemenson, deputy chief engineer with the commission engineering division, explained staff’s recommended immediate action and presented a corrected wording for one recommendation: staff asked the commission to direct BG&E to produce a list of all projects that were assigned to, but not inspected by, a now-terminated employee and that were inspected by other inspectors under the Corrosion, Leak, Proactive Service Renewal program for 2022 until that employee’s termination. Staff said the independent review would determine whether the matter was localized to the one employee or indicative of broader, systemic oversight issues.

Company and OPC positions
BG&E representatives said the conduct in question involved a former employee and related to contract-compliance field audits rather than system-safety inspections. BG&E counsel said the company discovered the matter through internal review, removed the employee, and has enhanced oversight and tracking processes. BG&E argued an external audit could be an undue use of resources where staff’s report had not demonstrated a system-safety impact.

The Office of People's Counsel urged a separate docket and said material issues of fact in the engineering report warranted evidentiary proceedings. OPC also said a third‑party audit could provide an independent, fresh review to determine whether the problem was localized or systemic and whether customer costs were properly recorded.

Commission direction and next steps
Commission staff recommended that, because the investigation’s scope differs from the ongoing BG&E multi‑year rate case, the matter be docketed as a separate proceeding to allow parties to intervene and be heard. Commissioners indicated they would issue an order deciding whether to open a new docket and whether to authorize an independent audit. The chair said the order would address both docketing and the need for any external audit.

Context and clarifications
- Staff noted some recommendations to obtain lists of projects and to assess whether the employee’s work was performed by others and whether documentation and billing conform to contract and program rules.
- BG&E said the employee’s compensation was excluded from any recovery as an abundance of caution and emphasized the company’s layered safety and monitoring programs.

Ending: The commission will issue an order either opening a new docket for a targeted investigation or continuing the matter in the existing case and will decide whether an independent audit is warranted before proceeding further.