Pepco Workgroup to Address Frustrations

In response to the the volume of customer complaints concerning Pepco's overall performance, County Executive Isiah (Ike) Leggett announced the formation of a Pepco work group. According to a statement from Leggett, "The group will identify and investigate causes for the frequent electricity outages and their duration." 

"It is incredibly important that we do not go through again what we experienced in February and July and August," Leggett said in a statment. "While Pepco may be focused on these individual storms, we can't afford to stop there. We have to figure out why Pepco power outages occur regularly, on even the nicest of days, threatening life, inconveniencing families, and costing our businesses millions," 

The group will investigate the causes and duration of Pepco's frequent outages in Montgomery County,  review Pepco's services in comparison with other utilities, report their findings and recommend improvements.

On Aug. 30, the Maryland Public Service Commission held a public hearing on Pepco's reliability. At the hearing, speakers voiced their disappointment that the commission did not take action sooner since Pepco had already promised improved efficiency in 2003, after Hurricane Isabel. At that time, Pepco admitted that they ranked in the bottom 25 percent in terms of the frequency of outages. Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio noted that other utility companies in the area are not receiving the same complaints.

"I know that this is a large area but if they can't handle it, break them up. We did it to AT&T," Marcuccio said. As many residents still continue to experience frequent outages, even on clear days, Del. Bill Frink (D-16) said, "The Pepco report is now as important as the traffic report."

The work group will work to address issues including Pepco's inadecuate staffing, communication systems, lack of preventative maintenance and tree trimming programs.The group will be led by retired Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine. According to a statement form Leggett's office, "Augustine has been cited for his 'ability to cut through complex issues quickly' and to be able to 'bring diverse groups of people together to focus on getting results.'"

The group is expected to submit their report within the next three to six months. 

Members of the group are:

• Gerald Fitzpatrick, National Institute of Standards and Smart Grid expert who serves on the Federal Smart Grid Task Force.
• Michal Ilana Freedhoff, staff member on the House Energy and Commerce Commission;
• Keith Haller, communications expert;
• Scott Hempling, executive director of the National Regulatory Research Institute;
• Brian Lang, representing the development and property management industries;
• Carmen Larsen, co-chair, Latin American Advisory Group;
• Steve Richter, electric utility industry consultant;
• Debbie Robins of Century Distributors, Inc. representing large employers;
• Arthur Slesinger, representing County civic associations;
• Scott Ullery, Rockville City Manager representing County municipalities; and
• Jim Young of Marriott International representing the hospitality industry.