Maryland Public Safety Commission approves new service termination requirements
New regulations approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) came into effect on Monday, stepping up notification requirements for service termination and allowing greater access to service termination information by local governments.
“Our goal with these regulations is to make sure individuals and families have every avenue possible to obtain utility services in a way that is safe and lawful,” W. Kevin Hughes, chairman of the Maryland PSC, said. “This new process also gives local governments the information and resources they need to assist residents whose utility service has been terminated for theft or for use without an active account.”
The new regulations come on the heels of the deaths of eight members of the Todd family in March 2015 when a generator, used to heat the Todds’ home following the removal of their meter, flooded the Maryland residence with carbon monoxide. The meter was discovered to have been stolen from another vacant house before being attached at its new location.
“As electric consumption technology changes, the utility companies are better able to detect unauthorized use, thus causing enforcement action,” State Sen. James Mathias, Jr., (Somerset County) said. “However, innocent residents can be affected through immediate service termination. The tragic loss of the Todd family in my district caused me to work effectively with the Public Service Commission and other stakeholders to improve our policy, and likely save innocent lives in the future. I am most gratified for this team effort.”
