Our Office

The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel (OPC) was created in 1924 and is the oldest office of its kind in the U.S. The People’s Counsel is appointed by the Attorney General, with the advice and consent of the Senate. OPC’s main job is to represent the interests of Maryland’s residential utility customers of natural gas, electricity, private water, landline phones, and certain transportation matters. It does this by getting involved in cases about utility prices, service quality, and supply. The agency works in front of the Public Service Commission, federal agencies, and in court. This work affects almost every Maryland resident.

OPC is an independent State of Maryland agency that primarily functions as a law office. It has a team of lawyers and also hires experts in fields like accounting, engineering, and economics. These experts help by writing reports and giving professional opinions in hearings.

OPC is funded through the state budget, but the money doesn’t come from taxes. The State’s General Fund is fully reimbursed for OPC’s expenses from revenue collected in the Public Utility Regulation Fund. These revenues are collected from all regulated utility companies and licensed energy suppliers.