Maryland joined bandwagon over the past two years. Now, California is in the dark. While John Hanger, a former Public Utility member, told the Associate Press that that Pennsylvania won't face a power shortage anytime soon, other groups like Public Citizen have suggested that when Pennsylvania's rate caps are removed in around five years, as California's already are, the state may indeed be facing the same rolling blackouts and voluntary conservation measures. Meanwhile, the prognosis for Maryland is far from clear. Most of the state's utilities belong to an established regional power pool, and energy production is spread across different fuel sources, so we don't have California's supply problem.
Demand is stable or increasing slowly.
And Maryland's deregulation laws required utilities to enter long-term energy supply contracts to avoid the price instability associated with buying power on the spot market, as occurred in California. But there's no guarantee that true competition will develop between Maryland's electricity providers in a way that ultimately benefits consumers, even with monitoring by the Public Service Commission. Rates could well increase after temporary rate controls expire in a few years. Click here for a FREE Special Offer. All Vermont Teddy Bears are handmade in Vermont and guaranteed to be enjoyed for a lifetime.