Friday, March 20, 2009
Businesses Oppose Electricity Reregulation
The Maryland Chamber joined a group of business leaders this week to voice their opposition to electricity reregulation in Maryland. The group submitted a letter to Governor martin O’Malley warning that reregulation will have far-reaching, negative impacts on Marylanders.
In addition to the Chamber, organizations that signed on to the letter included the Maryland Retailers Association, Giant Food LLC, Safeway Inc., and many more. The letter stated:
“Together we represent 2,036 facilities in Maryland, 494,128 Maryland employees, and over $114 million in annual electricity purchases in the state. Electricity is one of our largest operating costs and when we have control of this cost our growth and profitability are enhanced. One way we have controlled the cost of electricity is to participate in the competitive market, and our continued economic viability depends in part on our ability to obtain electric service from competitive suppliers. Every dollar saved on energy expenses by our companies is a dollar that goes to the bottom line. These savings help us continue to offer affordable, high quality products and services to our customers as well as fund other important corporate initiatives and social responsibility efforts.”
To view the complete letter, click here.
The Maryland Chamber opposes reregulation because it would be costly to rate payers and would return the risk of building, owning and operating power plants to Maryland’s electricity customers. In addition, reregulation would have a significant negative impact on commercial and industrial customers who purchase electricity in an a competitive marketplace.
For more information, contact Maryland Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs Allyson Black at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
UPDATE March 25: Washington Post: Key Senate Committee Approves Utility Re-Regulation
