Harford County Roadway Status Hotline – 410-638-3009
Harford County Information Line – 410-838-5800
Blizzard Warning – Harford County has been placed under a Blizzard Warning and the possibility of an additional 11 inches of snow are likely. Blizzard type conditions will occur and near WHITEOUT visibility will occur through this evening and snow drifts of 6′ are likely.
This is an extremely dangerous situation and we remind people to stay home and not drive. Motorists who become disabled or stranded along the road are urged not to leave their vehicle and call 911 to report their location and to activate their emergency flashers. As of 10 a.m. more than 8,400 citizens throughout Harford County have lost power. To assist citizens who may need emergency shelter from the cold, or who have lost power in their homes, four Harford County volunteer fire stations are being opened. Please call ...Continue Reading
The state Public Service Commission on Friday approved the $4.5 billion sale of half of Baltimore-based Constellation Energy’s nuclear business to French company EDF, on the condition that the company gives a one-time credit of approximately $100 to every Baltimore Gas and Electric residential ratepayer by next March.
In an order released Friday afternoon, the commission said its approval also depends on Constellation pumping $250 million into BGE by June 30, and limits the dividends the utility can pay to its parent company. The order would also restrict when BGE could seek rate increases.
The order gave Constellation and EDF until next Friday, Nov. 6 to inform the PSC whether they will proceed with the deal under those conditions.
In a brief statement, Constellation acknowledged the order, but did not provide further comment, pending a review of the order. Company spokesman Rob Gould also declined to comment.
A transformer will be passing through Harford County in the near future and this one is no toy. Weighing in at 481,000 pounds and belonging to Exelon Corporation, the first of seven new transformers bound for the company’s Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in Delta, PA will be hauled on Harford County roads over six nights, beginning sometime in late July.
A 16-foot-wide trailer carrying the transformer will have a 27-foot-high load, resulting in a total shipping weight of 831,724 pounds that will roll along at the snail-like pace of 3 to 5 mph. The trailer will be accompanied by a motor escort composed of law enforcement vehicles, road construction crews and utility trucks. The entire road trip is expected to take one week, including the six nights in Harford County and one day in Pennsylvania. An exact starting date has not been set by the company.
State regulators have approved the construction of a third nuclear reactor at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in southern Maryland – even as those regulators prepare to review a business deal that could be crucial to getting the new reactor built at all.
The state’s Public Service Commission approved the 1,600 megawatt reactor following an 18-month review including public meetings (which were largely pro-nuke love-fests). The decision was dated Friday but not made public until late Monday evening.
Constellation hasn’t firmly committed to building the new reactor, which wouldn’t come online until sometime next decade and could cost as much as $9 billion to construct. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission still has to approve the project and has said it won’t do so until 2012.
The new reactor and three other similar nuke projects around the country were proposed by UniStar Nuclear Energy, a joint venture between Baltimore ...Continue Reading
Due to a power outage in the building, Deerfield Elementary School will be CLOSED today, Monday, June 8th for students and staff. Also, Deerfield Elementary Pre-K, housed at Edgewood Elementary, is cancelled today.
The following was received from the office of Del. Rick Impallaria:
Senate Bill 844 – Public Service Commission – New Electric Generation Facilities – Rate Regulation and Contracts
This bill, which supposedly reregulates utility companies, passed the Senate at the end of March and was given to the House Economic Matters Committee with little time to review. The Committee put in as many hours as we could to study it, and as a member of the Utilities Subcommittee for six years and someone who understands all the issues involving the utility industry, it is clear to me and to my Subcommittee colleagues that this bill does not contain any plan whatsoever to reregulate the industry, has no timelines, no benchmarks, no localities for siting power plants, nor does it have a clear perspective for successful completion of reregulation. The Public Service Commission testified that, “If you’re looking for a ...Continue Reading
Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers heated up about higher bills this winter can blame unusually cold weather for most the spike, the utility told state officials Thursday.
Though energy costs are slightly higher than last year, increased usage brought on by bitter cold temperatures is the biggest reason some ratepayers have seen their bills double in recent months, BGE representatives told the state’s Public Service Commission.
First, the fairy tale. Constellation Energy is the victim of difficult economic times which resulted in the demise of the company. Fortunately, through the leadership of Mayo Shattuck, the company was saved from total destruction by a white knight named Warren Buffett. That’s the fairy tale.
