WASHINGTON - TelAve -- We Power DC today announced the launch of its newly updated Public Power Pledge (https://actionnetwork.org/forms/public-power-pl...). The pledge outlines the campaign's vision for replacing Pepco, an investor-owned utility, with a publicly-owned electric utility system in Washington, DC. In the pursuit of a city-owned electric grid, WPDC campaigns for laws and regulations that decrease bills, increase transparency and oversight, and further invest in clean energy for the District.

Ahead of the 2026 local election season, WPDC is asking candidates running for elected office to sign the pledge and commit their support for a public power system in the District. In the 2022 election cycle, eight candidates signed a similar WPDC pledge. The campaign is also collecting signatures from DC residents as part of an effort to build awareness of and support for public power as an alternative to Pepco.

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"Energy unaffordability is a crisis for households across DC. It is paramount that our elected leaders stay transparent and focused on serving the interests of regular people here in the city, not lobbyists and shareholders from Pepco and Washington Gas," said Matt Sehrsweeney, co-chair of We Power DC. "Only by serving the public first can our city guarantee reliable, affordable energy for every resident and business."

Over the past five years, a series of rate hikes have resulted in nearly a quarter of DC residents being consistently behind on their bills, with almost 60 percent of low-income households in debt to Pepco. Since the pandemic, Pepco has raised fees aggressively, and the average customer now pays $200 more per year to receive the same service. Even the DC City Council recently affirmed (https://edocket.dcpsc.org/apis/api/Filing/download?attachId=236940&guidFileName=21f7c5e5-6ea4-47bf-bd48-d88ff9564288.pdf) that energy unaffordability is a problem for many residents. A public power system would help address this crisis as public power customers pay 13 percent less (https://www.wepowerdc.org/our-campaign) for electricity compared to customers of investor-owned utilities, experience more reliable service, and spend less time without service during extreme weather events.

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The Public Power Pledge (https://actionnetwork.org/forms/public-power-pl...) can be viewed and signed on the We Power DC website.

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We Power DC is a coalition of community organizers fighting to build support for a democratic, transparent utility system that is directly accountable to all consumers, utility workers, and those most vulnerable to the climate crisis. In October 2025, the campaign released a white paper (https://www.wepowerdc.org/our-campaign) detailing the failures of the investor-owned utility model and the potential for municipalization as an effective and sustainable alternative for the city of DC.