The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel requests PJM to defer vote at Dec. 11 meeting
The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel requests PJM to defer vote at Dec. 11 meeting
By Audrey Carpenter
The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel sent a Dec. 8 letter to the PJM Interconnection Board of Managers asking them to delay its vote on a controversial electric transmission line proposal known as Proposal 2022-W3-853 which would deeply impact rural Western Loudoun County.
The transmission lines and substations traverse Maryland as well as Northern Virginia.
The letter, containing the reasons for the request, can be viewed here: https://www.pjm.com/-/media/about-pjm/who-we-are/public-disclosures/20231208-pjm-board-letter-2023-12-08-md-opc-final.ashx.
PJM is a regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia. It is currently considering proposals to build new transmission lines and substations to provide increased electricity throughout the region.
On Dec. 11, the Board of Managers is set to review and vote on the transmission line proposal. Susan Buehler, PJM’s chief communication officer, stated that the meeting will be held despite the letter it received on Friday from the Office of People’s Counsel. She said the meeting is not open to the public, but that any action taken would be available for public review.
On Dec. 5, PJM’s Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee held a meeting to discuss all the transmission line proposals and made a recommendation to its Board of Managers to move forward with a vote. There were 250 comments submitted to PJM regarding the proposals.
Public only given 18 days to review material and submit comments
“Given the scale of the W3 [Window 3] projects, the vote should not be rushed. Instead, the PJM Board should define a process that allows reasonable time and processes for review by consumers and stakeholders,” the Office of People’s Counsel advised.
“The scale, scope, and cost of the W3 projects are unprecedented – orders of magnitude larger and in greater complexity compared to all recent PJM managed and directed transmission planning and procurements. PJM’s recommendations for W3 will result in an approximate $5 billion of capital expenditures for new transmission projects across multiple states that will result in very large increases in annual revenue requirements paid for by electric consumers. The current failure to unpack the relative contribution of each of the “drivers” of the need for the W3 projects makes it impossible for the public to understand how cost causation principles apply to the projects,” the Office of People’s Counsel further added.
“During the Dec. 5th meeting, PJM staff committed to working further with stakeholders to answer questions and receive feedback regarding the W3 projects, but without defining a process for engagement with those questions and feedback before the Board’s scheduled date for decision at its pending meeting on December 11, 2023,” the Counsel’s letter stated.
Here is a link to numerous public comments and letters concerning the transmission line proposals, many of which were written by farmers and business owners in Western Loudoun County:
Here is the contact information for the entire PJM Board of Managers:
1) Manu Asthana
President and CEO
610.666.2232
2) Mark Takahashi, Chair
3) Paula Conboy
4) Jeanine Johnson
5) Margaret Loebl
6) David Mills
7) O. H. Dean Oskgiv
dean.oskgiv@pjm.com
8) Charles F. Robinson
9) Terry Blackwell
10) Vickie VanZandt
Additionally, the public can contact: custsvc@pjm.com and David Anders, director of Stakeholders Affairs, at: david.anders@pjm.com
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