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** Documents reveal American Gas Association staffer joined interview process for open Maryland Public Service Commission seats ([link removed])
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By Matt Kasper on December 8, 2025

A staff member of the American Gas Association (AGA) joined key interviews for Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s latest appointments to the Public Service Commission (PSC), which regulates Maryland utilities, according to documents ([link removed]) obtained by the Energy and Policy Institute.

AGA is the trade association for investor-owned monopoly gas distribution utilities, including several member companies regulated by the PSC, including Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE), Columbia Gas of Maryland, and Washington Gas Light (WGL). AGA works to advance those corporate interests ([link removed]) by promoting various policies and rate designs to ensure the production, transmission, and distribution of methane gas. AGA also has a long history ([link removed]) of using advertising and sponsorships to create a political environment that’s friendly to methane gas.

AGA’s Managing Director of Energy Analysis Juan Alvarado joined six PSC interviews on Friday, January 17, hosted by then-Secretary of Appointments Tisha Edwards. Alvarado was the only non-governmental employee to join the PSC interviews, according to the documents. Edwards, PSC Chair Fred Hoover, and Drake Johnson, a special assistant in the Appointments Office at the time, were the other meeting attendees.

Alvarado previously worked at the Maryland PSC but has been a senior director of energy analysis at AGA since 2020. Moore
nominated ([link removed]) Alvarado for a PSC position in February 2023, but his nomination was quickly withdrawn ([link removed]) after backlash from organizations that raisedconcerns ([link removed]) about his appointment in light of deadly gas explosions ([link removed]) and the administration’s environmental goals and commitment to serving the public interest. (It is unclear whether the Moore administration allowed the AGA or other utility interests to participate in the 2023 PSC appointment process. The Energy and Policy Institute has a pending Public Information Act request on file with the administration about that
appointment process.)

After the interviews, Alvarado had a “PSC call” with Edwards on Wednesday, January 22. A month later, Moore delivered the appointments ([link removed]) of Obi Linton and Ryan “Chuck” McLean for the open positions at the PSC to the Senate. The documents additionally show that Alvarado joined interviews for the following six candidates:

* Brandon Bowles, a former Pepco manager who worked on smart grid programs, and a former director for the District of Columbia Sustainable Energy Utility.
* Stephanie Johnson, a state energy and regulatory policy director for the Edison Electric Institute at the time. EEI is the trade association for electric monopoly utilities, including BGE, Pepco, and other Maryland utilities. Johnson was also the executive director for the Chesapeake Solar & Storage Association.
* Odogwu Obi Linton, a commissioner at the PSC from 2017 through 2023.
* Ryan McLean, the PSC’s Chief Public Utility Law Judge.
* Carla Pettus, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission attorney who has also worked ([link removed]) at the Maryland and D.C. commissions, along with PJM and several utilities, including Pepco.
* Michael Richard, who was a current commissioner at the PSC.

Gov. Moore’s office did not respond to questions from EPI.


** Rising utility rates dominate policy discussions
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The opportunity for the utility industry to have a seat at the table, with the ability to influence the appointment process, arose at a time when lawmakers were grappling with rising utility rates at the beginning of a legislative session ([link removed]) . Customer frustration ([link removed]) with high bills sparked hearings at the state level and also with ([link removed]) the Baltimore City Council.

The Office of People’s Counsel (OPC), an independent state agency that advocates for residential utility customers, has documented rapidly rising gas delivery rates, and warns that excessive gas capital spending has been a key driver in rate hikes. The OPC’s February 2025 analysis ([link removed]) revealed how the gas utilities look to pursue nearly $50 billion in capital investments through 2100, further driving up delivery rates. Without intervention, BGE customer bills will spike to an average of $500 a month, WGL bills to $340 a month, and Columbia Gas bills to $365 a month.

In response to rising gas delivery rates, Gov. Moore and the legislature acted, passing the Ratepayer Protection Act as part of the 2025 bipartisan Next Generation Energy Act ([link removed]) to require gas pipeline spending to prioritize safety and be cost-effective. Implementation of that law will rest with the commission.

There have also been calls for the PSC to launch a Future of Gas proceeding to engage in long-term strategic planning for the gas system and reduce the risk of stranded assets. The OPC petitioned ([link removed]) the PSC in early 2023. The PSC held a public comment period and hosted a hearing in July 2024, and launched the formal proceeding ([link removed](9707).pdf?ver=26GLrPearFIlfZnRwV4iwQ%3d%3d) in August. PSC staff recently submitted draft regulations to end the state’s line extension allowance policy, as required by a June PSC order. BGE and WGL customers would save an estimated $150 million annually and nearly $1 billion through 2035, based on OPC estimates
([link removed]) . This proceeding will continue throughout 2026, along with an expected rate increase proposal from BGE, the state’s largest gas utility, which was last granted a $408 million increase ([link removed]) over three years in 2023.


** Recent EPI articles and press:
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* After Gillett’s departure, Connecticut regulators changed rate case decisions to increase utility profits, customers’ bills ([link removed])
* The American Prospect: Lightning in a Bottle ([link removed])
* Michigan Advance: Utility lawyers’ donations to Michigan AG candidate raise conflict-of-interest concerns ([link removed])

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