We Power DC outlines legal pathway to break from Pepco and decrease energy bills in new white paper

We Power DC, the ratepayer advocacy group for District of Columbia residents, published its legal and political framework to break away from Pepco’s high energy bills and mismanagement. After near nonstop rate increases totaling hundreds of millions of dollars coming out of DC residents’ pockets, We Power DC’s white paper showcases the high priority to finally break with Pepco and establish a city-run electric utility.

“Pepco’s greed has hiked energy bills at a time when the cost of living is at an all time high. It’s time for the energy utility of this nation’s capital to focus on providing affordable, reliable, and clean power for the community instead of enriching shareholders,” said Matt Sehrsweeney, Co-chair of We Power DC. “Our white paper shows how Pepco has failed the DC community, and by creating a publicly owned alternative, we can achieve long-term affordable power and our city’s ambitious climate goals.”

The white paper addresses Pepco's financial mismanagement, including the fact that in 2021 and 2022, DC residents paid Pepco for over $90 million for planned investments that never materialized. Alongside bungled direction from Pepco’s corporate leadership, the white paper highlights Pepco’s poor labor practices, attempts to slow-roll climate action like rooftop solar, and meddling in DC’s energy efficiency standards. At its core, We Power DC’s research and white paper advocate for a public-owned utility that spends ratepayer money responsibility, logically, and benefits the DC community, not shareholders and hedge funds. In addition to laying out the case for municipalization, the paper also describes key interim steps that the DC government should take to reign in the unchecked power of the utilities, including taking away Pepco’s grid planning authority and investing in publicly owned community solar. 

The pathway towards municipalization (or, moving Pepco’s private energy infrastructure into the public domain) is primarily through DC Council legislation. The full, in-depth look can be found on the We Power DC website.

It’s not too late to create an affordable, clean utility that puts the people of DC first. We just need the political will to do it. Read the full white paper on the We Power DC site here.