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FLEISCHMAN AND HARDING ATTORNEY PLAYING LEADING ROLE IN EFFORT TO AVOID ELECTRICITY SHORTAGES IN MARYLAND

June 30, 2008
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            The head of Fleischman and Harding LLP’s utility practice and former Chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission, H. Russell Frisby, is at the forefront of efforts to avoid power shortages in Maryland in the coming years as the spokesperson for "Marylanders for Reliable Power" ("MRP").  As energy prices spiral upward, a coalition of activists and business groups has united to form Marylanders for Reliable Power in an effort to raise public awareness of the need for upgrades to the state's electric power transmission lines, new power plants throughout the state, and increased conservation efforts.  This is a National, as well as a local, problem.
            Among the chief concerns MRP seeks to address is the lack of sufficient electricity transmission facilities connecting the electric utility grid in Maryland with sources of power generation in the mid-west.  Maryland is fast approaching a crisis point.  The state imports 30 percent of its total electricity consumption and there is no excess capacity to import more over existing transmission infrastructure.  If a solution is not reached within the next few years, research indicates that the current system will be unable to keep up with increased demand, with the result being brownouts and, potentially, blackouts by 2012.
            While conservation and the construction of new electricity generation capacity are both necessary components of a sustained energy policy for Maryland, neither conservation nor the construction of new electricity generation plants alone are viable options for averting the coming energy squeeze.  This is because the amount of increase in demand is outpacing the amount of energy savings that can be squeezed out of the grid through intensive conservation measures.  Similarly, the length of time necessary to build new power generation plants and the number of plants that would be necessary to compensate for the increase in demand will make the option of constructing new generation insufficient to avoid the near-term energy shortfall.
With over thirty years experience in the field of utility regulation, Russell Frisby has now been called upon by MRP to help lead the efforts to raise public awareness of this issue, which is critical for the safety, and economic wellbeing of all Marylanders.  In addition to aiding efforts before regulators, Mr. Frisby has also been very active in the press as MRP makes it initial efforts to help craft solutions for avoiding an energy crisis in Maryland.  This has included appearing on Maryland Public Television, as well as being quoted in both national and local newspapers.