Published: June 27, 2008 11:55 am      

WMHS joins Maryland coalition for reliable power

CUMBERLAND - Sen. George Edwards once said people will begin to pay attention to Maryland's looming energy crisis when they flick the bedroom light switch on and nothing happens. The lights don't come on.

Russell Frisby hopes people begin paying attention long before that. Unfortunately for him and the group for which he serves as spokesman, Marylanders for Reliable Power, time is running short. The Maryland Public Service Commission reported more than 18 months ago about inevitable brownouts as early as 2011. A brownout is defined as a decrease in available electricity that causes a dimming of lights.

"Some people are paying attention," said Frisby, who visited Cumberland Thursday with fellow spokeswoman Louise Hayman. "But the general public is not aware. The first step is to raise public awareness. We've got to act now."

Marylanders for Reliable Power is a coalition of businesses, industry experts and labor unions that have one goal in mind: To keep the lights on.

Since the report's release, the state's consumption of energy has remained constant, while costs continue to rise due to a limited power grid infrastructure and an increase in importing electricity from the Midwest.

"We have not made significant improvements in energy infrastructure for almost 30 years," Frisby said.

The coalition's short-term goal is to improve transmission capabilities. Building new lines, Frisby admitted, is one of the least politically correct solutions. That's because many people take a "not in my back yard" approach to development issues.

Long-term, Frisby said, he hopes state residents become alert enough to not take that approach. Nothing but a concerted conservation effort, along with investment in renewable energies, will solve the state's energy problem.

Is it an uphill battle? Yes, Frisby said, but a battle that can be won.

"Maybe we're eternally optimistic," he said. "We have to make a try. We think the state can't afford (the 'not in my back yard') reaction."

Two organizations in Allegany County have joined the coalition, the Western Maryland Health System and Mel's Business Systems, both in Cumberland. Frisby and Hayman were joined Thursday by Kathy Rogers and Jo Wilson, both of WMHS. Wilson, vice president of ancillary support operations, said the possibility - and likelihood - of brownouts in a few short years could have a devastating impact on the patients treated in Allegany County.

"We're concerned about patients," Wilson said. "We've taken huge measures to ensure we have backups to our backups. We're doing everything we can to make sure ... (patients) won't be affected."

WMHS has a second "feed line" of electricity to its new campus, scheduled to open in October 2009. In the two to three seconds it takes for the second feed to come online, a "big battery" backup, called a universal power supply, is engaged.

Wilson said the problems patients face are compounded with small doctors offices that aren't as likely to have double electricity feeds. Also, there is an increasing effort to have Internet-based, doctor-patient material.

For more information, visit www.forreliablepower.com/maryland.php.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.