DC’s electric utility should serve the public, not private profit. Pepco, our investor-owned electric utility, leaves our low-income neighbors in the dark and in debt, actively hinders DC’s climate goals, and remains unaccountable to DC residents.

We pledge our support for replacing Pepco with a publicly owned municipal utility system that is just, accessible, and sourced from 100% clean energy. We support building a democratic, transparent utility system that is directly accountable to all consumers, utility workers, and those most vulnerable to climate injustice in the District.

By taking public ownership of Pepco, we can power a just energy future for all of DC.

Public Power Principles:

• Lower utility bills and no shutoffs. Our utility system must treat everyone with dignity. Investor-owned utilities like Pepco prioritize expensive capital investments that result in high-energy costs for consumers and high profits for their shareholders, while a publicly owned not-for-profit utility system would make energy a public good, ensuring everyone has access to affordable and reliable electricity regardless of their ability to pay. Access to energy is a human right, and DC’s utility system should reflect this.

• Fight the climate crisis. At this critical moment in the climate crisis, we must swiftly transition to a zero-emission utility system; and ensure that the costs of that transition are not passed on to DC’s most vulnerable residents. Pepco is resisting these changes, but a public utility would prioritize a just transition that creates jobs and brings investment and resilience into our communities.

• Democratic multi-stakeholder governance. Everyone―from utility workers to consumers―has a stake in our utility system and deserves a say in how it functions. Our mayor-appointed Public Service Commission, which oversees DC’s utilities, has failed to represent the will of DC’s working people. A public power utility would offer DC residents the opportunity to decide where their energy comes from, how revenue is reinvested in the District instead of profits going to shareholders, and where energy infrastructure is sited across our communities.

• Good union jobs. The number of IBEW members employed by Pepco has declined over the past 15 years, while Pepco increases the number of underpaid, uninsured contracted workers. No one should be denied the wages needed to pay their own utility bills and feed their families, including the workers who maintain critical energy infrastructure for thousands of others. A public utility will put workers, not shareholders, first.

Sign the public power pledge to show your support! And click here to join our movement alongside people just like you who are standing up for an utility system that puts people over profit.