ANNAPOLIS, Md.
- The governor of the US state of Maryland, Martin O'Malley and Maryland lawmakers have formally announced legislation to put utility reliability standards into the law.
The measure will require the Maryland Public Service Commission to adopt enhanced reliability standards by July 2012. The bill also will allow the PSC to fine utilities for poor performance. Fines would be directed back to affected ratepayers.
Pepco, a utility that serves customers in Washington, and Prince George's and Montgomery counties, has been widely criticized for long delays restoring power to thousands of customers.
