MANCHESTER — Good Energy, L.P., a New York City-based broker working for Constellation New Energy, has accepted responsibility for forging a Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) customer’s signature.

“I take full responsibility for the forged document, and would like to do whatever I can to make this right with the State of New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, with Constellation, Filtrine Manufacturing and any other parties impacted by this event,” Good Energy President Max Hoover said in a letter to the PUC.

The Public Utilities Commission opened an investigation July 17 into the forgery of Filtrine Manufacturing Co. President Peter Hansel’s signature as part of an effort by Good Energy to win Filtrine’s energy business on Constellation’s behalf.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Hoover said the employee who forged the signature, Terra Ray, works in Good Energy’s Carrolton, Texas, office and her employment status is under review.

“Our letter speaks for itself, but I’ll reiterate I’m horrified by what’s happened,” Hoover said. “We’ve never had anything like this happen before. It totally goes against our ethics and everything that we stand for.”

PSNH notified the PUC about the forged signature on a Letter of Authorization seeking to obtain Filtrine’s meter data, or electric usage history, from PSNH.

“It’s really ironic that we’re learning today that the agent for Constellation has admitted forgery,” PSNH spokesman Martin Murray said Thursday. “Because today Constellation asked the NH PUC to give it direct access to our customer usage and account data. This is the same company that in January was fined one-quarter of a billion dollars by the FERC for manipulating the regional energy market, and whose agent has now admitted forging our customer’s signature. Now, they are seeking unfettered access to customer data, and asking us to trust that they’ll use the information appropriately.”

Constellation spokesman Larry McDonnell said Thursday, “We would hope and expect that any complaints against Constellation would be dismissed.

“We appreciate Good Energy explaining the situation,” he said.

PUC Executive Director Debra Howland said the commission is considering the matter and must decide whether or not to dismiss the petition. It will need to determine whether the answers it has received are satisfactory.

Constellation New Energy Inc., LLC, an Exelon company, is based in Baltimore.

In a July 30 letter to the commission, Constellation’s director of state government affairs, Daniel W. Allegretti, wrote, “CNE’s investigation has determined that each of the three LOA’s (letters of authorization) submitted for FMC were received by CNE from GE already executed and submitted to PSNH without alteration.”

Allegretti said in the letter Constellation did not have a contract with Filtrine.

Good Energy has been in business since 2000 and has about 30 employees. As an energy broker, it matches customers and energy providers similarly to how an insurance broker matches customers and service providers.

In the letter to the PUC, Good Energy’s Hoover said that one of the company’s salesmen, Edward Carey, is related by marriage to Filtrine President Hansel and that Good Energy has worked with Filtrine as its energy broker for more than two years.

“By way of background, our employee, Terra Ray, who forged the LOA, was acting in a support role, supporting our salesperson Edward Carey, who in turn has a business and personal relationship with Filtrine,” the letter said.

“I have personally spoken with Peter Hansel, the president of Filtrine, as well as representatives from Constellation, describing candidly our failures and offering my most sincere apologies. I am taking steps within my own company to make sure this will never happen again,” Hoover wrote.

The PUC docket number is DE 12-214.

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Denis Paiste may be reached at dpaiste@unionleader.com.