O'Malley: State Pushing Power Companies 'As Hard As We Can'

Gov. Martin O'Malley said state officials will be pressing Maryland power companies to reconnect customers faster in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

O'Malley, speaking to the media by conference call, said state agencies will provide support to companies like BGE and PEPCO.

"We're going to be pushing them as hard as we can to get everyone reconnected as quickly as they possibly can," O'Malley said.

Currently there are nearly 450,000 customers in Maryland without electricity after the weekend hurricane passed through the state.

More than 300,000 of those customers are in the BGE service area which includes Baltimore County, Baltimore City and seven other jurisdictions. As of 4:30 p.m., more than 100,000 customers—the most in the power company's service area —were in Baltimore County alone, according to BGE's website.

"There are as many people without electricity in BGE's service area as there were in Maryland at the height of the (2010) snow storms," O'Malley said.

BGE said Monday morning that it expects to have the majority of those who are still without power reconnected by Friday.

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz Monday expressed disappointment over the power company's timeline.

"Obviously, I'm not happy about that but it's something that is out of my control," Kamenetz said of the projected Friday timeline.

O'Malley, during his phone news conference, also expressed dismay.

"Satisfaction is not a word I'd use as long as there are people without power," O'Malley said.

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