District residents and advocates testified on the impact of rising energy bills at PSC oversight hearing and called for increased accountability

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly 100 D.C. residents and advocates testified today at a D.C. Council oversight hearing about the Public Service Commission (PSC) on the impact of rising energy bills and the need for new leadership and accountability at the PSC. The hearing comes just weeks after the launch of a campaign urging the D.C. Council to pause the reappointment of Chairman Emile Thompson and Commissioner Ted Trabue, both of whom have approved $398.5 million in utility spending by Pepco and Washington Gas since 2021, allowing energy bills to skyrocket. 

“D.C.’s Public Service Commission is uniquely positioned with the power to lead the District through our current affordability and climate crises. In 2025, as in years past, the PSC did not take this opportunity, leaving residents saddled with higher bills, gas leaks, and no plan for reducing either,” said Claire Mills, D.C. Campaigns Manager at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund. “Now, we are urging the DC Council not to reappoint Chairman Thompson or Commissioner Trabue. It is time for new leaders with a new vision that can deliver on lower bills and cleaner energy for D.C. residents.”

“The current leadership at the PSC has allowed utility bills to reach sky-high levels to the point that 1 in 5 DC residents are in debt to Pepco. Meanwhile, Pepco and Washington Gas have been allowed to dodge accountability, side-step fines, and offer a middling service for luxury prices,” said Harrsion Pyros, communications coordinator for We Power DC. “The only way to achieve lower bills and a government that serves the public is to not reappoint Chairman Thompson and Commissioner Trabue. We need new leaders, because our current ones have failed time and again to meet the moment and plan for an affordable, reliable energy future.”

Under Chair Emile Thompson’s leadership, the PSC has approved $398.5 million in utility spending by both Pepco and Washington Gas. In 2024, Chair Thompson and Commissioner Trabue voted for a controversial multi-year electric rate hike that increased D.C. electric bills by $11 per month in 2026. Both commissioners also approved a 13% gas rate hike in December 2025 that raised the average residential heating customer’s bill by $11.24 per month beginning at the start of 2026. 

“This is the first time I have felt motivated to testify before the Council on any issue,” said Mark Rasmuson, Ward 3 resident. “And I’m doing so today because I believe the PSC is doing a poor job overseeing our gas and electric utilities and serving the interests of the residents, and needs new blood and leadership. Washington Gas is continuing to push for millions more for Project Pipes, an outrageously expensive dinosaur of a project to replace all the gas pipes in the city when we should instead be aggressively moving away from gas heating and towards electrification. And the PSC is going along with it. We need a PSC that is more in the corner of residents. We need a change in the leadership of the PSC.”

“I am fortunate enough to have been able to absorb the mind-boggling increase in my electricity bill in these last months, but that does not make them any more acceptable,” said Helen Epps, Ward 3 resident. “I am a subscriber to Clean Choice Energy with distribution through Pepco. I know this may make some difference, but my historically typical December winter bill of $184.10 jumped to $338.40 in January before “moderating” to $260.67 this past month (the coldest). It is my understanding that Chairman Thompson and Commissioner Trabue are requesting reappointment to their positions. There have been rate hikes every year they have served; they should not be rewarded for such stewardship.”

“For thousands of D.C. seniors like me and my wife, who already were strained by cutbacks necessitated by the past period of high inflation, such large and rapidly mounting energy costs are putting further pressure on our budgets, reducing our quality of life and instilling fear for the futures of ourselves and our son,” said Peter Weiss, Ward 4 resident. “I find it unconscionable that these regulators in a public agency, sworn to maintain reasonable rates, have taken so little to heart their responsibility to push back against the utilities. Instead, they’ve behaved more like willing enablers of the relentless efforts of Washington Gas and Pepco to add to their coffers with little or no regard for the interests of the greater public.”

Approximately one in seven D.C. households are behind on their gas bills, while Pepco disconnection notices spiked by nearly 20% in December 2025. As D.C. residents struggle with higher energy costs, Pepco and Washington Gas continue to make record profits, with Pepco earnings $40.95 million in December and Washington Gas giving its shareholders a 6% dividend increase that same month. 

READ MORE ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN: New Leaders, Lower Bills for D.C. No Reappointments for the PSC

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The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state and national level to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement towards clean energy solutions — focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.