New Leaders, Lower Bills for D.C.
No Reappointments for the PSC!
Over their four years on D.C.’s Public Service Commission, Chairman Thompson and Commissioner Trabue have voted for over $550 million in spending by D.C.’s monopoly utilities, from Project Pipe extensions to rate hikes. In 2026 we’re no closer to a plan for transitioning the city away from methane gas that we were in 2021. Bills are piling up for D.C. families, while our utilities bring in record profits. And now, they want four more years on the job.
We’ve been organizing to Stop Project Pipes for years. We’ve sent in a record number of public comments, rallied, testified at the Commission, and disrupted hearings… again and again. And while we’ve moved the needle, the Commission majority continues to side with monopoly utilities over D.C. residents. We’ve seen enough. It’s time for NEW LEADERS and LOWER BILLS, not four more years of the same.
Four Years of Fossil Fuels and Rate Hikes
Chairman Thompson and Commissioner Trabue started their terms in 2022. Since then, your utility bills have gone up every single year, because Chairman Thompson and Commissioner Trabue have:
- Approved questionably high rate hikes for both Washington Gas and Pepco (the latest Pepco case was thrown out by the courts)
- Extended Project Pipes FOUR times in two years THEN approved the next three year phase requiring DC ratepayers to pay $267.5 million for a failing fossil fuel project
- Failed to actually plan for the clean energy transition, instead allowing DC to stay hooked on methane gas and vulnerable to regionally rising electricity costs driven by data centers
Want the nitty gritty details of what these two have been up to over their terms? Read CCAN’s Docket Dispatch for the full report.
Meanwhile, approximately one in seven D.C. households are behind on their gas bills alone, while Pepco disconnection notices spiked by nearly 20% in December 2025. Making matters worse, the volatile price of fossil fuels has caused energy prices to skyrocket, with the residential price of electricity rising 5.5% in November 2025 compared to the year prior and the price of gas rising 88.5%. At the same time, Pepco and Washington Gas continued to make record profits, with Pepco raking in $40.95 million in December 2025 and Washington Gas gave its shareholders a 6% dividend increase that same month.
These aren’t the leaders we need to take on the climate emergency or D.C.’s affordability crisis.
We’re Demanding New Leaders and Lower Bills
We’re demanding the D.C. Council not reappoint Chair Thompson or Commissioner Trabue and our incoming mayor appoint Commissioners up to the task of implementing DC’s climate laws.
In the middle of an energy affordability crisis, we need leaders who will put people over profit. In the middle of the climate emergency, we need leaders who will actually implement D.C.’s climate commitments. It’s time for new leaders who are up to the task.
Chairman Thompson has resigned from the Commission and Commissioner Trabue is serving as Interim Chair. But we’re demanding the incoming Mayor make new appointments to the PSC on day one of their administration, and the Council to only approve them if they are up to the task of
- Lowering utility bills with cleaner energy
- Ending Project Pipes for good
- Actually planning the clean energy transition we need to get DC off polluting methane gas
Take Action Now!
1: Tell your Councilmembers it’s time for new leadership that will lower our bills
We need to make sure it’s the new Mayor, and not the current one, who makes nominations… because Mayor Bowser wants to keep Commissioner Trabue for another four years. And the D.C. Council needs to hear our demand for new leaders directly from D.C. residents. We’re tired of relying on dirty energy and bills are far too high. We need new leaders with a new vision for D.C.’s utilities – one that puts people and the planet first, not corporate profits.
2: Sign CCAN’s petition for ratepayer protections
D.C. should prioritize people and our planet over corporate profit. Sign CCAN’s petition to tell D.C. leaders to protect those of us that pay utility bills and make sure our money isn’t spent against our interests.
3: Join this campaign!
Our work is people-powered. We’ve been organizing to stop Project Pipes for years, and hundreds of D.C. residents have joined us. Whether that means signing petitions, testifying at Council, or becoming one of our Action Team members – we need you with us! We need your help to keep educating DC residents on what the Public Service Commission is, and why it’s so critical to keeping our utility bills low and stopping climate change in the District. Sign up to volunteer and let us know you’re interested in our New Leaders, Lower Bills campaign.
Key Articles
- Opinion: D.C.’s lax utility oversight is costing customers – The 51st
- A D.C. court just reignited the debate over high electric bills – The 51st
- Goodbye Gas? Inside the battle over your home heat. – The 51st
- Local Activists Speak Out Against Washington Gas Pipeline Replacement Plan. – The Washington Informer
- Washington Gas is Betting Against the Climate, and Your Health, with Billions of Your Money. – Earthjustice
- A safer, more affordable DC begins with a plan to move beyond gas. – Greater Greater Washington
