Latest news with #DelmarvaPower
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
History April 20-26 from News Journal: Coastal growth concerns, schools close due to COVID
Pages of history features excerpts from The News Journal archives, including The Morning News and Evening Journal. See the archives at April 20, 1978, The Morning News Earle J. Lester, vice chairman of the Delaware Public Service Commission, said last night he failed to disclose his family's financial holdings in Delmarva Power & Light Co. because he forgot. Lester said he was aware that more than a year ago the PSC adopted a strict code of ethics forbidding a commissioner to vote on a utility case if he or his family has a financial interest in the utility … But he waited until Tuesday afternoon to reveal that his wife and 16-year-old daughter own about 630 shares of DP&L. DP&L is currently seeking the commission's approval for a 17.6% electric rate increase and $2.3 billion capital expansion program over the next decade. By revealing his family's holdings in DP&L, Lester in effect disqualified himself from voting on the rate request unless all parties to the proceedings agree he should remain involved. Nearly all his fellow commissioners, however, said yesterday they felt Lester should keep out of the DP&L hearings … More recent Delmarva Power rate news: Why are Delmarva Power bills rising so much? How to get some relief and learn more April 21, 2004, The News Journal Thirty years of coastal changes are clear from Fenwick Island to Lewes, where million-dollar houses now stand on land that in the 1950s supported a thriving fishery. Today, those towns share the struggles of many coastal communities in the nation: coping with rapid growth, improving sewage treatment and supporting a thriving tourism industry. They are part of a coastal development boom that a federal commission says poses a mounting threat to coastal waters. In a 500-page preliminary report on the state of the nation's coastal waters issued Tuesday…the commission's recommendations include: Increased efforts to reduce ocean pollution from land-based sources such as farms, housing and industrial sites. Better coordination of federal agencies that deal with ocean issues, partly by establishing a National Ocean Council and a Presidential Council of Advisers on Ocean Policy … Growth along Delaware's coast has outpaced the national average. In Sussex County, the overall increase in population between 1990 and 2000 was 38 percent, according to the U.S. Census. The bulk of that growth came along the coast where the population grew by 59 percent … Catch up on history: FDR proposes Supreme Court additions, King George VI dies: News Journal archives Feb. 2-9 April 25, 2020, The News Journal All Delaware schools will be closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Gov. John Carney made the announcement Friday afternoon at a daily press briefing on the coronavirus. Remote learning, which schools have shifted to, will continue. 'Today we're making it official that schools will remain closed for students until the end of this school year, but we expect that schools and teachers would finish out the last two months as they have been with remote learning and get as much instructional time and learning with their students as possible,' Carney said … The news came as Carney announced coronavirus cases in Delaware had climbed to almost 3,500 with 100 deaths. Carney said the state will not reopen until the cases started to decline and widespread testing was available. Carney first sent a notice to school districts Friday, March 13 about temporary closures until March 30 and later pushed the date back to May 18 …. Delaware joins more than two dozen other states which have closed schools for the academic year … Carney said he knew it was on superintendents' minds to recognize graduating seniors and urged them to think of ways to do so. Most districts have started planning. Cape Henlopen School District Superintendent Bob Fulton announced that high school seniors would have a virtual graduation June 9 and that district leaders are working on the details … Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@ This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: History April 20-26: Coastal growth concerns, schools close due to COVID
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Time to pull the plug on utility-run EV charger program
A survey by private group of electric vehidle enthusiasts found recently that charger reliabilty was a mixed bag, from 99.6% operable ports at Tesla charging staions to just 33% for BGE stations, and 31% for Delmarva Power. (Photo by Lanny Hartmann) In 2023, Gov. Wes Moore joined Maryland to California's Advanced Clean Cars II program, pledging to slash greenhouse gas emissions by phasing out gasoline vehicle sales by 2035. Barely two years later, he signed an executive order delaying penalties for these Zero-Emission Vehicle Goals, blaming insufficient charging infrastructure. The real culprit? A large portion of Maryland's public chargers are utility-owned and routinely broken — mocking the drivers who rely on them and the ratepayers who funded them. Since 2019, the Maryland Public Service Commission has let utilities like BGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison and SMECO operate public EV chargers in a pilot program now nearing its end. BGE alone spent $15 million installing chargers at libraries, parks and government buildings. The utilities vowed these stations would match the reliability of their electric grid. Instead, they've delivered a charging disaster. Now, they want four more years — and more ratepayer cash — to keep it limping along. Maryland Matters welcomes guest commentary submissions at editor@ We suggest a 750-word limit and reserve the right to edit or reject submissions. We do not accept columns that are endorsements of candidates, and no longer accept submissions from elected officials or political candidates. Opinion pieces must be signed by at least one individual using their real name. We do not accept columns signed by an organization. Commentary writers must include a short bio and a photo for their bylines. Views of writers are their own. The utilities' pitch in 2018 was simple: Give us millions, and we'll build a dependable electric vehicle network. But drivers know the truth: These chargers are often down. Worse, utilities outsourced most operations to third-party contractors. When a charger fails, EV drivers don't call BGE for a quick fix — they're stuck dialing a 'network provider,' where complaints vanish into a virtual black hole, sometimes taking months to resolve. This isn't service; it's abandonment. In 2023, the General Assembly demanded accountability, passing House Bill 834, the Electric Vehicle Charging Reliability Act, requiring 97% uptime, backed by quarterly reports and penalties for failure. Two years on, the Public Service Commission has yet to see those reports. Drivers, meanwhile, feel reliability worsening. Moore's executive order, citing the very infrastructure utilities failed to deliver, only deepens the distrust — easing pressure on automakers instead of fixing the public charging networks. Fed up, I joined 12 other Maryland EV drivers to survey every fast charger statewide. Our Maryland Fast Charger Survey visited 304 locations, testing over 1,000 ports. Tesla, running more than half of Maryland's fast chargers, delivered 99.6% availability — 541 of 543 ports worked. BGE? A measly 33% (30 of 90 chargers operational). Delmarva Power's Eastern Shore network was the worst at 31% (4 of 13). These aren't chargers; They're proof utilities can't deliver. Now, utilities propose bigger budgets for a second phase of the pilot program, funneling more money to contractors for obsolete chargers. Unlike Tesla's stations—built near 24-hour stores with 8 to 16 plugs pumping up to 325 kW—most utility chargers are stuck at 50 kW, often with just one or two ports. They're not at vibrant hubs but in desolate corners of parking lots, like behind state office buildings. Why pour millions into slow, outdated chargers nobody wants to use? Moore's order admits the infrastructure isn't ready, but after six years, that's no excuse — it's a failure of leadership. Utilities have had time and money to build a network that works. Instead, they've squandered trust and dollars. The Public Service Commission must end this failed experiment, redirect funds to proven models like supporting commercial charger programs, and demand Moore recommit to Zero-Emission Vehicle Goals with infrastructure that delivers. Marylanders deserve better than broken chargers and weak promises. It's time to pull the plug.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why are Delmarva Power bills rising so much? How to get some relief and learn more
Residents from around Delaware have been reporting skyrocketing energy bills from Delmarva Power so far in 2025. Legislators have called on the Office of Public Advocate to step in to help reduce costs, but both the Office and the utility company have claimed that costs are rising due to inclement weather, despite reports that other utility customers have not experienced the same increase. Theories also have been floated that part of the reason for the increase is the state's emphasis for utilities to improve their renewable energy portfolio. Delmarva Power has extended resources for customers to waive late fees and additional tips to reduce energy usage while elected officials plan on holding a meeting to further explain the increase. But, for some residents, that support is not enough while their bills double. Here's what to know. Numerous cold snaps have gripped the Northeast since December, and some residents are reporting an equally chilling experience, energy bills reaching multiple hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. A Facebook group called 'Delmarva Power Victims' has amassed nearly 9,000 members. Residents from the Delmarva area have reported nearly double or triple their traditional electric and gas bill prices, and have called for an end to what they are viewing as 'price gouging.' Delmarva prices have remained a hot topic as energy rates soared in January. Bills have increased by hundreds of dollars for some Delawareans, and some people, like Gerardine Hendrix, who owns a single-family home in Wilmington. She said her bill doubled in a month, despite being out of the house for most nights and only living with her daughter. 'It's so unfair,' she said. 'I'm glad to pay for improvement but they need to balance the delivery fee and make it reasonable.' Third try for ship: SS United States now set to leave Philadelphia on Monday A petition titled 'Stop Delmarva Power from ripping off taxpayers in the Eastern Shore!' began by Adeel Khan has also received over 16,000 signatures as of Tuesday, Feb. 11 – just two weeks after it was published. 'As a monopoly operating in our area, Delmarva Power has imposed unreasonable costs and failed to provide equitable and transparent services to its customers,' the petition reads. The petition calls for Gov. Matt Meyer and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Public Service Commission to investigate the company's billing practices, audit the operations of Delmarva Power, break the 'monopoly' of Delmarva Power by allowing for competition and providing residents with alternative energy options. Maria Cordona lives in Pike Creek, and while she had some payments backed up from an expensive December bill, she does not understand the sudden hikes, which are costing her more than $1200 in January. She wants transparency from Delmarva Power on what the charges mean. Specifically, her delivery fee was higher than her usage fees. "They need to explain, ' How is that delivery done or completed, or what happens that it's more expensive than the actual supply?" she said. According to a Delmarva Power president, Phil Vavala, the delivery fee is not a new charge, rather the format of the bill was changed to provide more transparency. Their electric rates were approved in April 2024, and their natural gas rates were last approved in October 2022. Delmarva Power maintains that the primary driver of the rate hike has been the cold temperatures that have plagued the state's 342,500 electric customers and New Castle County's 140,000 natural gas customers since December. The cold weather has increased electric usage by 40% from November to December 2024, and increased natural gas usage 200% in the same time frame. Those numbers increased again in January by 23% and 50%, while the power company experienced record winter usage for both electric and natural gas in January. "I'm sure you can appreciate that it takes more energy to heat your home when that occurs when the ambient temperature outside is zero degrees, and surrounding your house, it takes more energy," Vavala said a virtual press conference Thursday. "Our systems need to work harder to be able to help keep our the same temperature inside of our homes there, and we're seeing that across the board." He said the usage and delivery charges are proportional, and that the charge goes to all of the infrastructure required to bring gas and electricity to a home. He also said usage is more to blame for price hikes than any potential renewable energy costs. "The more you use, the more your delivery rate is; the less you use, the less the delivery rate is," he said. In July 2024, PJM, the regional grid manager, held a capacity auction to ensure that it can meet its reliability requirement for the 2025-2026 delivery year. According to PJM Interconnection, auction prices were 'significantly higher' due to decreased electricity supply. 'The significantly higher prices in this auction confirm our concerns that the supply/demand balance is tightening across the [regional transmission organization],' said President and CEO of PJM Manu Asthana. 'The market is sending a price signal that should incent investment in resources.' In addition to the lower supply, PJM noted that it is also taking longer to build renewable energy generation due to external challenges such as financing, supply chain issues, and siting and permitting issues. In a letter dated Thursday, Jan. 30, a group of state representatives called on the Office of the Public Advocate to take action in investigating the 'dramatic increases' in energy bills, noted by their constituents. 'While we understand that temperatures were unseasonably cold during this period, these steep increases brought forth appear beyond seasonal weather fluctuations,' the letter reads. 'Additionally, residents who are not served by Delmarva Power have not seen the same changes in their energy bills despite the same cold temperatures experienced by them and their energy providers.' The Office's Acting Public Advocate Ruth Ann Price sent a letter back on Tuesday, Feb. 4, agreeing with the concerns shared by the representatives, but ultimately chalking the reasoning up to higher usage of electricity and a re-design of the Delmarva bills that could lead to confusion among customers. More about energy: President Trump halts offshore wind projects. What does that mean for Delaware? 'I understand and share the concerns raised by consumers,' the letter said. 'The higher bills they are seeing is being driven primarily by the unusually cold winter we have been experiencing … The largest driver of electric usage for customers with electric space heating is their HVAC system … the largest driver of natural gas consumption is their gas furnace.' Price also cited the most recent PJM auction, and said that market reforms are ongoing at the company, but 'upward pressure on prices is expected to continue.' She also stated that Delmarva is currently before the Public Service Commission seeking a natural gas rate increase. Similarly, the Delaware State Senate Republican Caucus posted on Facebook that in response to the 'numerous' complaints about the sharp increases, members of the caucus met with municipal and co-op providers and energy stakeholders. 'Experts and those in the industry consistently point to federal and state regulations reducing traditional energy generation as being a cause of inflated rates as mandated green energy investments fail to meet growing demand,' the caucus wrote. 'While there is no quick fix, we are committed to introducing legislation to curb rising utility rates.' Delmarva Power offered some resources attempting to assist customers who are struggling with making the payments such as rescinding late payment fees for January and February 2025 and providing longer periods for repayment, suspending disconnections for nonpayment in February 2025 and waiving deposits for disconnected customers who are seeking to restore services. The utility company also listed tips to reduce energy usage such as maintaining heating systems, lowering water heater temperatures, managing thermostat levels and utilizing high usage alerts and energy usage information listed on the company's website. Sen. Stephanie Hansen will hold a hearing on the rising energy bills with the Senate Committee for Environment, Energy and Transportation Committee, Delmarva Power, the Public Service Commission and the Delaware Office of the Public Advocate. Saving on heat: Here's how to optimize your thermostat for winter to save on heating bills In a statement to The News Journal, Hansen said the state has the power to set the rates that Delmarva Power can charge for electric and gas supplies and deliveries through the Public Service Commission and the Division of the Public Advocate. It can also change statutory requirements like renewable energy and public purpose programs to support low-income customers. Those changes make up a small part of the bills, she said. Hansen said the goal of the meeting is to hear from Delmarva Power to see what can be done in response to steep winter prices. "I suspect that we will see quick action," she said in her statement. "But we need to determine the best levers for making an impact." A Delmarva Power spokesperson said there is not much they can do with their current process, which they said was fully regulated and approved by the state. "Everything that customer sees is either something that has been approved by the Public Service Commission and or is a mandate from the state of Delaware," the spokesperson said. The hearing will be held on Friday, Feb. 14 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. in Legislative Hall's Senate Chamber. The hearing can also be streamed online here. Molly McVety covers community and environmental issues around Delaware. Contact her at mmcvety@ Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety. Shane Brennan covers New Castle County with a focus on Newark and surrounding communities. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at slbrennan@ Follow @shanebrennan36 on X, formerly Twitter. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delmarva Power bills are skyrocketing. Hearing to be held on prices
