Councilmember Janeese Lewis George introduces legislation to temporarily pause Pepco utility shutoffs

The DC City Council passed legislation on March 31 that prevents Pepco from shutting off DC resident’s power for the next 90 days if they owe less than $1,000. Ward 4 DC Councilmember and Mayoral Candidate Janeese Lewis George introduced the emergency legislation in response to skyrocketing utility costs. As of February 2026, 24% of all DC households and 57% of low-income households are in debt to Pepco. 

The measure must still be signed by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, who has publicly said she opposes the legislation. 

DC residents have seen some of the largest utility bill increases in the nation in part due to several recent rate increases requested by Pepco and approved by DC’s Public Service Commission (PSC). The most recent 2024-2026 rate plan was recently ruled invalid by the D.C. Court of Appeals as Pepco failed to hold a proper evidentiary hearing among other mistakes. This rate case will now need a formal evidentiary hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

“No one in the District of Columbia should lose electricity while we are still figuring out whether the bills they received were even properly justified in the first place,” said Lewis George during a floor debate over the bill. “For far too many residents, this is not just strain on their finances — it’s a breaking point, and we have to act to ensure families in the District remain stable.”

Lewis George is the latest candidate running for office in DC to recognize the crisis of high utility bills. Earlier this year, Ward 1 Candidate Aparna Raj and at-large candidate Oye Owolewa signed We Power’s Public Power Pledge to commit their support for a public power system in DC.