Matters Involving Electricity

• Renewables – Processed 862 Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) applications received in FY 2017; Monitored the District’s energy suppliers to ensure they were only obtaining Renewable Energy Credits and Solar Renewable Energy Credits from energy facilities that comply with District law; Prepared and submitted a timely RPS Report to the D.C. Council. RPS Report
• Formal Case No. 1017 – Monitored the competitive auction for electricity for Standard Offer Service (SOS) for District consumers who do not choose their electricity supplier and approved the new rates for SOS service; Completed Biennial Review of the SOS procurement process, including the implementation of changes to that process (Order No. 18829), as modified by Order on Reconsideration (Order No. 19106).
• Formal Case No. 1119 – Issued Order No. 17947 on August 27, 2015, which denied the Joint Application of Exelon Corporation, Pepco Holdings Inc., and Pepco for approval of a change of control of Pepco; Considered a Non-unanimous Full Settlement Agreement and Stipulation (NSA) filed by Joint Applicants, the Office of the People’s Counsel, the District of Columbia Government, the National Consumer Law Center, the National Housing Trust, and the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington; Rejected the NSA, with one Commissioner proposing alternative terms for a Revised NSA that would, if accepted by the settling parties, result in the approval of the Revised NSA and the merger application (Order No. 18109); Considered a Request for Other Relief filed by the Joint Applicants, agreeing to the alternative terms, and concluded that the merger, as revised, was in the public interest (Orders No. 18148 and 18160); Denied applications for reconsideration of the approval of the Pepco/Exelon merger (Order No. 18243). The D.C. Court of Appeals, considering an appeal of the Commission’s decision, pending at the end of 2016, found in the Commission’s favor in 2017 (OPC v. PSC, No. 16-AA-815, July 20, 2017).
• Formal Case No. 1119 (Commitment Tracker) – Continued implementation of a Merger Commitment Tracker to identify the conditions placed upon Pepco and Exelon in the Merger Orders and follow the progress made by the companies on those commitments; Continued implementation of a public version of the Commitment Tracker to be updated every month that will allow members of the public to see whether the companies have lived up to their commitments. In 2018, the Commission will open proceedings to address additional merger commitments, including implementation of energy efficiency and energy conservation programs for multi-family units and master-metered multi-family buildings which include low and limited income residents.
• Formal Case No. 1130 – a Continued an inquiry into Modernizing the Energy Distribution System for Increased Sustainability (MEDSIS) to explore aspects of grid modernization and new developments that are fundamentally changing how electricity is being generated and delivered; Issued a Staff Report on grid modernization, including discussion of Comments and Workshops; Held a MEDSIS Town Hall focusing on Section VII (Proposed MEDSIS Grant Funding Parameters & Proposed Demonstration Projects) of the MEDSIS Staff Report; Issued Notices of Proposed Rulemaking to change rules for consistency with grid modernization; Began Preparation of a MEDSIS Vision Statement.
• Formal Case No. 1139 – Denied a June 30, 2016 application from Potomac Electric Power Company seeking to increase rates for distribution service by $77,494,000; Granted a rate increase in the amount of $36,888,000 based on a rate of return of 7.46% on Pepco’s jurisdictional test year rate base of $1,614,803,000 and a net operating income of $98,645,000 (Order No. 18846). On August 24, 2018, the Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia (OPC), the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA), the United States General Services Administration (GSA), and the Healthcare Council of the National Capital Area (HCNCA) filed applications for reconsideration of Order No. 18846, at the close of FY2017 those applications were still pending before the Commission.
• Formal Case No. 1144 – Opened an investigation into a Pepco application for approval of a Notice of Construction of a construction project known as “Capital Grid” in which Pepco proposes to construct two 230kV underground transmission lines from the Takoma Substation to the rebuilt Harvard Substation and from the rebuilt Harvard Substation to the rebuilt Champlain Substation and to upgrade aging infrastructure.
• Formal Case No. 1145 – Opened to consider all matters governing applications for approval of Biennial Underground Infrastructure Improvement Projects Plans filed pursuant to the Electric Company Infrastructure Improvement Financing Emergency Amendment Act of 2017 (Order No. 18801). Shortly thereafter, Pepco and the District of Columbia Department of Transportation filed an application for approval of the first biennial Underground Infrastructure Improvement Projects Plan and a financing Order. After considering testimony and community hearing input, the Commission granted the application in early FY 2018. The matter is now under appeal.

Matters Involving Gas

• Formal Case Nos. 1115 and 1027 – Considered progress in two Washington Gas Light Company construction programs: the Vintage Mechanical Coupling Replacement and Encapsulation Program (VMCR) and the Accelerated Pipeline Replacement Program (PROJECTPipes); Convened a technical conference to discuss a project management tool that could be used to improve implementation of the two programs; Reviewed the Technical Conference Report, as well as Monthly Reports and construction documents and plans; Required WGL to provide additional information regarding the VCMR (Order No. 19101); Approved the hiring of consultants to audit PROJECTPipes (Order No. 18723); directed WGL to file AACE Class 3 estimates for each project on its PROJECTPipes Annual Project list and directed WGL to file a complete Program Implementation Plan (Order No. 18815); denied WGL's Application for Reconsideration of Order No. 18815 (Order No. 19088); Participated in Consumer Education events. It is anticipated that the Vintage Mechanical Coupling Replacement and Encapsulation Program will be completed in FY 2018.
• Formal Case No. 1126 – Directed WGL to refund to District ratepayers an estimated $2.4 million for over-delivery of natural gas during the 2008-2009 winter heating season (Order No. 18505); Directed WGL to apply the refunds consistent with the next annual 12-month Annual Cost Adjustment period (December 1, 2016 to November 30, 2017) and directed WGL to include with its quarterly Purchase Gas Charge reports an accounting of the refunds made (Order No. 18561).
• Formal Case No. 1127 – Finalized charges to the discount program for low-income natural gas customers in the District, the Residential Essential Service (RES) program, by accepting WGL’s Implementation Plan which applied to the distribution portion of the bill such that the discount is approximately 25% of the total bill (Order No. 18639); Began oversight of WGL implementation of the new RES program.
• Formal Case No. 1137 – Denied a February 26, 2016 application from Washington Gas Light Company for a rate increase; Denied the application seeking to increase rates for gas distribution service by $17,408,063; Granted a rate increase in the amount of $8,510,251 based on a rate of return of 7.57% on WGL’s jurisdictional test year rate base of $255,674,210 and a net operating income of $12,833,646 (Order No. 18712).
• Formal Case No. 1140 – Approved a purchase of receivables program for natural gas suppliers in the District of Columbia (Order No. 19140); Adopted components of a purchase of receivables (POR) program that will resemble WGL’s program already in effect in Maryland, and also Pepco’s program already in effect in the District. In a POR program, a utility purchases the receivables of a retail supplier at a discount rate equal to a utility’s actual uncollectible rate. This discount rate is then offset from the monthly payments the utility makes to the retail supplier and is subject to a periodic reconciliation process. POR programs promote customer choice, thereby increasing competition and reducing commodity prices.
• Formal Case No. 1142 – Opened a formal case to consider an application by AltaGas Ltd., WGL Holdings, Inc., and Washington Gas Light Company for a change in control of Washington Gas Light Company; Considered testimony and exhibits. The Commission expects to act on the application in FY 2018.

Matters Involving Telecommunications

• RM28-2016-01 Universal Service – Amended Universal Service rules to achieve consistency with changes in the Federal Communications Commission Lifeline Modernization (Order No. 18609).

Matters Involving Multi-Utilities

• Formal Case No. 1125 – Addressed promotion of the four Utility Discount Programs (UDP) in the District of Columbia: the Customer Assistance Program for water customers, Lifeline for telephone customers, Residential Aid Discount for electric customers, and Residential Essential Service for gas customers through the Utility Discount Program Education Working Group, comprising WGL, Pepco, Verizon DC, DC Water, DOEE, OPC, and the Commission; Oversaw the Consumer Education Program, a multimedia program that targets low-income utility consumers in the District of Columbia to inform them of the four UDPs available.