Fiscal Year 2026
Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia (DCPSC) Chairman Emile C. Thompson testified on March 5, 2026, before the DC Council's Committee on Transportation and the Environment as part of the agency's annual Performance Oversight Hearing. Thompson's testimony outlined the Commission's work over the past year to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable utility services while advancing the District's clean energy and climate goals.
Watch the FY26 Performance Oversight Hearing
Advancing the Clean Energy Transition
Grid Modernization and Natural Gas Planning
The Commission initiated an electric Integrated Distribution System Planning (IDSP) process in November 2024 to optimize the distribution system with advanced technologies. The Commission recently issued an order opening an Integrated Natural Gas Distribution System Planning docket to ensure future decisions align with the District's legal and policy framework.
Natural Gas Pipe Replacement Initiatives
Following the rejection of Washington Gas's (WGL) PROJECTpipes 3 application in June 2024, the Commission approved a modified District SAFE Plan. This structurally departs from PROJECTpipes by focusing on replacing the riskiest pipes in the system and requires WGL to provide a detailed written summary as to why Non-Pipeline Alternatives (NPAs) and other emerging technologies are not appropriate for each project.
Solar Expansion
To help meet the target of 100% renewable energy by 2032, the Commission certified 4,209 new solar facilities within the District in 2025. The DCPSC also finalized rulemakings in 2025 to improve solar interconnection cost transparency.
Innovative Pilot Projects
The Commission is actively overseeing four pilot projects designed to modernize the District’s energy delivery system:
Protecting Customer Affordability
WGL Rate Case Decision
In November 2025, the Commission reduced WGL's requested rate increase by approximately 27%, limiting the approved increase to $33.4 million. The decision also rejected WGL's proposed Weather Normalization Adjustment and maintained protections for low-income households.
Combating Rising Electricity Costs
While the DCPSC does not regulate regional PJM Interconnection capacity prices, it established a task force to study the financial impacts of the July 2024 capacity auction and develop consumer education and mitigation strategies.
Holistic Affordability Review
The Commission established a new energy affordability proceeding in January 2026 to holistically evaluate energy costs in the District. This proceeding will explore affordability metrics and targeted rate designs for large loads, such as data centers, that impact energy costs for everyday ratepayers.
Affordability Summit
The Commission will host an affordability summit later this year to collaboratively explore ways to reduce the cost burden of utility services while balancing reliability, safety, and sustainability.
Bill Transparency
To provide context on rising utility bills, the Commission highlighted that its decisions only impact the distribution portion of a Pepco electric bill (approximately 27%). The remaining costs are driven by surcharges, generation, and transmission determined by other regional, federal, and local entities.
Community Engagement and Equity
Direct Outreach
The Office of Consumer Service participated in approximately 50 community events across all eight wards in 2025 to educate residents on utility discount programs, energy efficiency, and consumer complaint resolution.
Supplier Diversity
The Commission continues to evaluate utility commitments to awarding at least 25% of procurement spend to diverse businesses. In 2024, Pepco reported a diverse supplier spend of 43%, and WGL reported 35.9%.
Lessons Learned
The Commission proactively established a Lessons Learned Working Group following Pepco’s Multi-Year Rate Case. After holding 11 stakeholder meetings in 2025, the group is developing a framework that will set evaluation requirements for future multi-year rate increase applications.
Written Testimony
Download the full
FY26 DCPSC Performance Oversight Hearing written testimony. Also avaliable is a
supplemental document of reports to provide additional context for the written testimony.