Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Committee on Transportation and the Environment, chaired by Councilmember Charles Allen, held a public hearing on Thursday, October 1, 2026, to consider three bills addressing utility costs, third-party energy supplier practices, and agency reporting efficiency. The hearing included testimony from public witnesses, industry representatives, environmental advocates, and government agencies. Key themes included the disproportionate burden of rising energy bills on low-income households, the need for transparency in utility capital expenditures, and the impact of third-party supplier marketing.
Recording in progress. Good morning, everyone. My name is Charles Allen. I'm the Ward 6 Council member and chair of the Council's Committee on Transportation and the Environment. Today is Thursday, October 1st, 2026. Happy new fiscal year. And we're meeting in room 120 of the John A. Wilson building as well as over the Zoom virtual platform. The time is now 10 12 A.M. and I'm calling to order this public hearing of the committee. As everyone in this room knows well, utility costs have been rising across the country, across the region, and across D.C. One in six households nationwide were behind on their energy bills in late 2025 due to record high summer cooling costs and rising winter heating rates. And the average overdue balance for all utility bills was nearly $800. And as I mentioned yesterday in our markup to advance my automatic enrollment bill, average energy costs here in the district have surged by nearly 70% from 2017 to 2025. Calls about utility shutoff notices continue to flood my office, and many families are in the uncomfortable position of determining which of their essential bills they've got to pay. The district's public service commission is the district's energy utility regulator. It's meant to serve on as a check on those utilities by approving rates and monitoring industry practices. The PSC approves spending for around one third of electricity rates related to capital spending in the district and two thirds of gas rates. As I've discussed frequently in past hearings and letters, I'm increasingly concerned the Commission has not used all of its tools available to push back against proposals that increase rates for DC residents and businesses. Just this year, the PSC approved a modified version of Washington Gas' district safe plan, a decision that writes a rate payer check of $50 million or more for the next three years, and one which the Office of the Attorney General has called, quote, simply a more expensive continuation of project pipes with fewer guardrails. Both this district safe plan and the latest multi-year rate increase are on hold, pending additional actions by the Public Service Commission as well as court action on PEPCO's multi-year rate increase. While the cost of generating power outside DC has risen due to adding large power loads from data centers, the cost of distributing power within the district has also risen in kind. And our regional grid, PJM, has been slow to adopt battery storage and clean energy generation, which has led to record number of blackouts this year. We continue to rely on imported electricity and natural gas in the district needs to provide better accountability and oversight of utility spending and infrastructure planning. Planning a better future at a reasonable cost to ratepayers will be essential to avoiding stranded costs and paving the way for more affordable energy independent DC. Today the committee is going to hear testimony regarding two bills related to utility affordability, and then one bill related to streamlining agency reporting requirements. I'm going to briefly describe each, and then I'm going to turn to my colleagues for any opening statements before we turn to witnesses. I'll also note this language was included in the Mayor's proposed budget support act and Chairman Mendelssohn decided to remove it from that vehicle and introduce it as standalone legislation so that we would be able to have a hearing on it. Bill 26-697 was introduced by Chairman Mendelson at the request of the mayor on May 27, 2026, and referred to this committee on June 2nd. The bill would broadly reform DOEE's reporting requirements by requiring that statutorily mandated reports be published and maintained on the agency's website instead of formally transmitting those reports to the council. The bill also converts many of DOEE's annual reporting cycles to biannual reporting cycle, reducing the administrative burdens that are placed on the agency. So quickly on hearing format. ANC commissioners testifying will each have five minutes. Public witnesses testifying on behalf of an organization will have five minutes. Those testifying on their own behalf will have three minutes. If there are multiple witnesses testifying on behalf of the same organization, only one will have the first full five minutes, and the others will each have three minutes. We've tried to structure our panels so that there are only four in-person witnesses per panel and everyone has a seat. But please be flexible. I might need to pull and shift as we go, as we have a combination of folks that are joining us online and here in person. For witnesses that are testifying virtually, you're going to receive a prompt via Zoom to accept a promotion to panelists. And after finishing your testimony, please remain seated or in the Zoom for questions that members may have for you. And for anyone who is interested in submitting testimony for the record, the committee will accept written testimony through the council's hearing management system at LIMS.dccouncil.gov backslash hearings through when the record closes, which is on October 15, 2026. With that, let me turn to my colleagues, Councilmember Lewis George is here. And so Councilor Lewis George, if you have any opening statements. Thank you.