Testimony of Lara Levison
Sierra Club District of Columbia Chapter
Oversight Hearing on the Office of the People’s Counsel
Committee on Business and Economic Development
March 1, 2023
Councilmember McDuffie, thank you for the opportunity to testify at this oversight hearing on the Office of the People’s Counsel. My name is Lara Levison, and I am the chair of the Energy Committee of the Sierra Club District of Columbia Chapter. The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. The DC chapter has about 3,000 dues-paying members.
I am testifying today to express the Sierra Club’s appreciation for the People’s Counsel, Sandra Mattavous-Frye, and her dedicated and talented team. Investor-owned gas and electric utility companies have large cadres of experts and lawyers to promote their interests with the Public Service Commission in setting utility rates and other proceedings. The Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC) provides an essential counterbalance to the institutional and political power of these for-profit companies.
OPC advocates on behalf of DC’s residents for gas and electricity rates that are affordable and just, and utility service that is reliable. OPC also assists ratepayers in troubleshooting their individual problems with utility service. This role became even more important because of the pandemic, as many DC residents have faced financial challenges. OPC has also taken on an important need in the community by advocating with DC Water on behalf of water customers.
As an organization heavily focused on alleviating the climate change crisis, the Sierra Club appreciates OPC’s recent focus on promoting climate solutions that are both effective and equitable. In the Clean Energy Omnibus Act of 2018, the DC Council expanded OPC’s responsibilities to include addressing climate change and the District’s public climate commitments.[1]
OPC responded vigorously to this mandate by adding climate expertise to its staff and expanding its focus on bringing clean energy opportunities to communities of color and other vulnerable communities. OPC promotes climate justice before the Public Service Commission, the regional electricity transmission organization (PJM), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the DC Council, in DC Water proceedings, and through public outreach. Last year, while navigating some complicated issues concerning legislation on subsidies for local solar power, the OPC engaged with council staff and industry groups to revise the legislation to better protect low and moderate income ratepayers, and provided the Sierra Club with valuable insights on the potential costs and benefits of the proposal.
The DC Council added climate change to the responsibilities of the DC Public Service Commission as well.[2] But in contrast to OPC, the PSC has shown limited follow-through to date, failing to reflect the gravity, and the costs, of climate change for DC residents, especially Black and Brown communities that are more vulnerable to the dangers of extreme heat, flooding, and other climate impacts.
As an advocate and an electricity and gas ratepayer, I also appreciate OPC’s informative newsletter for consumers. The newsletter recently alerted me to upcoming public hearings held by the Public Service Commission on the current proposal by Washington Gas to raise rates. The PSC itself did a poor job of notifying the public about these hearings.
In closing, I want again to express the Sierra Club’s gratitude and appreciation for the Office of the People’s Counsel. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
[1] D.C. Official Code § 34–804 (e) In defining its positions while advocating on matters pertaining to the operation of public utility or energy companies, the Office shall consider the public safety, the economy of the District of Columbia, the conservation of natural resources, and the preservation of environmental quality, including effects on global climate change and the District's public climate commitments.
[2] D.C. Official Code § 34–808.02. Supervision and regulation considerations. 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 on global climate change and the District's public climate commitments