Annapolis, Md -- After a year-long cooperative workgroup effort between The Maryland Public Service Commission (Commission) and 10 Maryland public utilities, the parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Friday, February 6, 2009. As part of this new agreement, each participating utility agreed to strive to meet the State’s 25 percent goal for Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) participation, one of the most aggressive goals in the country. In addition to increasing utility contracting targets generally, the MOU sets aggressive sub-targets for women, minority and disabled-service veteran owned businesses.

“The workgroup process and the resulting MOU demonstrate the collective commitment by the Commission and Maryland’s utilities to diversity and economic opportunity,” said Commission Chairman Doug Nazarian. “This new document builds on and expands earlier efforts in a meaningful and important way.”

Under the new agreement, the signing utilities will develop and implement procedures and report annually to the Commission regarding their plans to meet the annual targets and their success in the prior year. In addition to the concrete contracting goal, the new agreement also clarifies and makes uniform the data each utility will collect and report and resolves concerns regarding certification of qualifying vendors.

“The Utilities that signed the MOU should be applauded for embracing this concept and realizing that this is only the beginning of the process,” said Commissioner Harold D. Williams.

In addition to three Commissioners and senior executives of the participating utilities, several Maryland State Senators and Delegates attended last Friday’s signing ceremony.

Ten Maryland utilities have executed the new agreement to date:

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.

Verizon Maryland, Inc.

The Potomac Edison Co. d/b/a Allegheny Power

PHI Holdings, Inc.

Delmarva Power & Light Co.

Washington Gas Light Co.

Qwest Communications Co.

First Transit’s (Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport)

XO Communications

Association of Maryland Pilots

Other utilities participated in the workgroup process and, after further negotiations, may sign the agreement shortly; companies that did not participate in the negotiations will be asked to sign as well. The MOU document is posted on the PSC website, www.psc.state.md.us. Go to the Resources column and click on Supplier Diversity.