Chairman Willie L. Phillips
Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia
1325 G Street N.W., Suite 800
Washington, D.C. 20005
Dear Commissioner Phillips:
Congratulations on your confirmation to serve the citizens of the District of Columbia as chairman of the Public Service Commission.
You have become chairman of the Public Service Commission at a critical time in history. Last year, climate scientists warned that the world is running out of time to prevent catastrophic harm from climate change. At the United Nations climate summit in December, Kristalina Georgieva, CEO of the World Bank, said, “We are clearly the last generation that can change the course of climate change, but we are also the first generation with its consequences.”
Here in the District of Columbia, climate change is causing more dangerous heat waves, severe storms, flooding, and other challenges. Climate change doesn’t affect all of our citizens equally; it puts greater stress on those who are more physically and economically vulnerable, as described in Climate Ready DC, the mayor’s plan to increase climate resilience.
To protect our citizens and achieve Mayor Bowser’s pledge for our city to become carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2050, the Public Service Commission will need to take a strong leadership role. The DC Council affirmed the PSC’s role by adding the phrase in italics to this statutory requirement: “In supervising and regulating utility or energy companies, the Commission shall consider the public safety, the economy of the District, the conservation of natural resources, and the preservation of environmental quality, including effects of global climate change and the District’s public climate commitments.”
The Public Service Commission can use its authorities to help achieve the statutory requirement of 100 percent renewable energy by 2032; move rapidly to electrify the transportation sector; modernize the electricity grid to ensure rapid uptake of distributed energy resources including renewables, efficiency and storage; foster climate resilience in the utility sector; and ensure access to affordable energy for all DC residents.
We stand ready to work with you to decarbonize and build climate resilience in the utility sector. Please let us know how we can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Mark Rodeffer
Chair, Sierra Club DC Chapter
Rebekah Whilden
Organizer, Sierra Club DC Chapter
Lara Leivson
Energy Committee Chair, Sierra Club DC Chapter
February 12, 2019
Commissioner Greer J. Gillis
Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia
1325 G Street N.W., Suite 800
Washington, D.C. 20005
Dear Commissioner Gillis:
Congratulations on your confirmation to serve the citizens of the District of Columbia as a commissioner on the Public Service Commission.
You have joined the Public Service Commission at a critical time in history. Last year, climate scientists warned that the world is running out of time to prevent catastrophic harm from climate change. At the United Nations climate summit in December, Kristalina Georgieva, CEO of the World Bank, said, “We are clearly the last generation that can change the course of climate change, but we are also the first generation with its consequences.”
Here in the District of Columbia, climate change is causing more dangerous heat waves, severe storms, flooding, and other challenges. Climate change doesn’t affect all of our citizens equally; it puts greater stress on those who are more physically and economically vulnerable, as described in Climate Ready DC, the mayor’s plan to increase climate resilience.
To protect our citizens and achieve Mayor Bowser’s pledge for our city to become carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2050, the Public Service Commission will need to take a strong leadership role. The DC Council affirmed the PSC’s role by adding the phrase in italics to this statutory requirement: “In supervising and regulating utility or energy companies, the Commission shall consider the public safety, the economy of the District, the conservation of natural resources, and the preservation of environmental quality, including effects of global climate change and the District’s public climate commitments.”
The Public Service Commission can use its authorities to help achieve the statutory requirement of 100 percent renewable energy by 2032; move rapidly to electrify the transportation sector; modernize the electricity grid to ensure rapid uptake of distributed energy resources including renewables, efficiency and storage; foster climate resilience in the utility sector; and ensure access to affordable energy for all DC residents.
We stand ready to work with you to decarbonize and build climate resilience in the utility sector. Please let us know how we can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Mark Rodeffer
Chair, Sierra Club DC Chapter
Rebekah Whilden
Organizer, Sierra Club DC Chapter
Lara Levison
Energy Committee Chair, Sierra Club DC Chapter
Sierra Club Congratulates New Public Service Commission Chair & Commissioner
February 12, 2019