Ward 7 and 8 Residents & Leaders Brave Snow and Ice to Express Grave Concerns about Pepco-Exelon Merger
WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday night, January 6, the DC Public Service Commission (PSC) held the second of four scheduled public hearings on the proposed merger between Pepco and Exelon at the Thurgood Marshall Charter School in downtown Anacostia. Community leaders representing a wide range of interests turned out to express their strong opposition to the merger, particularly around questions of losing local control over the District’s power supply and Exelon’s poor track record on renewable energy.
Jackie Ward, Former Director of Constituent Services for Ward Eight City Councilmember Marion Barry, spoke of her concern that Exelon will not maintain Pepco’s engagement with the community, in spite of its widely-touted donations to local charities.
“For 15 years I have worked with Pepco to help people who couldn’t afford to keep the lights on, and Pepco has been very responsive,” Ward noted. “A company from Chicago is not likely to do that, given that they have no real roots in our community. Exelon is also not likely to continue Pepco’s positive work on solar, energy efficiency and other types of distributed generation. We worked tirelessly to pass the Community Renewable Energy Act of 2013, which promises to bring solar to multi-family buildings, apartments, Coops and rental units that predominate in Ward 8. Exelon has consistently opposed these kinds of policies in its other service territories, and Ward 8 residents are deeply concerned that the gains we have made east of the river will vanish under Exelon."
Several Ward 8 community and business leaders questioned the reasons behind the testimony of pro-merger witnesses at the hearing, the vast majority of whom mentioned having received funding from Pepco and pledges of continued funding from Exelon.
Akili West, Ward 8 business owner and sustainability expert, told the PSC, "I am very glad that Exelon gives to charities, but I see nothing in their merger proposal that addresses our community’s concerns on electricity prices, reliability and renewable energy." West added that he had grave concerns about Exelon’s anti-rooftop solar policies. "Renewables are really important to residents in Ward 8. Exelon needs to amend its anti-renewable energy policies before we can support this deal."
West also noted that Exelon’s out-of-town status will make it difficult for local residents to have a voice in their own power supply. “Pepco is right here, Exelon is in another galaxy," he said. “Pepco is the company I can work with.” West also expressed concern that Exelon, one of the largest producers, transmitters, and retailers of nuclear energy in the U.S., “…could attempt to balance their books on the backs of DC residents in the future.”
Irv Sheffey, a long-time “east of the river” activist and Ward 7 resident, also shared his concerns about the merger. He explained, “Stakeholders in this community worked together for two years to come to an agreement on Community Solar legislation. Exelon has no intention of honoring that work or promoting community based solar in DC, even if they are keen to tout their current solar power holdings. The Exelon-Pepco merger will destroy community solar in Wards 7 and 8 and leave the citizens of this community with nothing to show for their hard work to get clean, affordable energy.”
The two remaining PSC hearings on the proposed merger are scheduled for Monday, January 12 and Tuesday, January 20.
ABOUT POWER DC: Power DC is a coalition of DC citizens, business leaders and community advocates opposed to the purchase of Pepco by Exelon. Its members represent electricity customers from across the District of Columbia concerned about electricity prices, reliability, renewable and efficient energy and local control over our energy supply. More information is available at www.PowerDC.org andhttps://twitter.com/PowerDCnow.
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Jackie Ward, Former Director of Constituent Services for Ward Eight City Councilmember Marion Barry, spoke of her concern that Exelon will not maintain Pepco’s engagement with the community, in spite of its widely-touted donations to local charities.
“For 15 years I have worked with Pepco to help people who couldn’t afford to keep the lights on, and Pepco has been very responsive,” Ward noted. “A company from Chicago is not likely to do that, given that they have no real roots in our community. Exelon is also not likely to continue Pepco’s positive work on solar, energy efficiency and other types of distributed generation. We worked tirelessly to pass the Community Renewable Energy Act of 2013, which promises to bring solar to multi-family buildings, apartments, Coops and rental units that predominate in Ward 8. Exelon has consistently opposed these kinds of policies in its other service territories, and Ward 8 residents are deeply concerned that the gains we have made east of the river will vanish under Exelon."
Several Ward 8 community and business leaders questioned the reasons behind the testimony of pro-merger witnesses at the hearing, the vast majority of whom mentioned having received funding from Pepco and pledges of continued funding from Exelon.
Akili West, Ward 8 business owner and sustainability expert, told the PSC, "I am very glad that Exelon gives to charities, but I see nothing in their merger proposal that addresses our community’s concerns on electricity prices, reliability and renewable energy." West added that he had grave concerns about Exelon’s anti-rooftop solar policies. "Renewables are really important to residents in Ward 8. Exelon needs to amend its anti-renewable energy policies before we can support this deal."
West also noted that Exelon’s out-of-town status will make it difficult for local residents to have a voice in their own power supply. “Pepco is right here, Exelon is in another galaxy," he said. “Pepco is the company I can work with.” West also expressed concern that Exelon, one of the largest producers, transmitters, and retailers of nuclear energy in the U.S., “…could attempt to balance their books on the backs of DC residents in the future.”
Irv Sheffey, a long-time “east of the river” activist and Ward 7 resident, also shared his concerns about the merger. He explained, “Stakeholders in this community worked together for two years to come to an agreement on Community Solar legislation. Exelon has no intention of honoring that work or promoting community based solar in DC, even if they are keen to tout their current solar power holdings. The Exelon-Pepco merger will destroy community solar in Wards 7 and 8 and leave the citizens of this community with nothing to show for their hard work to get clean, affordable energy.”
The two remaining PSC hearings on the proposed merger are scheduled for Monday, January 12 and Tuesday, January 20.
ABOUT POWER DC: Power DC is a coalition of DC citizens, business leaders and community advocates opposed to the purchase of Pepco by Exelon. Its members represent electricity customers from across the District of Columbia concerned about electricity prices, reliability, renewable and efficient energy and local control over our energy supply. More information is available at www.PowerDC.org andhttps://twitter.com/PowerDCnow.
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