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PR26-0583 • 2025

Rate Plan Vacatur Interim Protections Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

Rate Plan Vacatur Interim Protections Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Lewis George
Last action
2026-04-17
Official status
Approved
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not explicitly state that the Public Service Commission must restore previous electricity rates. It mentions a recommendation but does not mandate it.

Rate Plan Vacatur Interim Protections Emergency Declaration

This resolution declares an emergency situation due to high electricity rates and prevents Pepco from disconnecting customers' service while the Public Service Commission decides on new rates.

What This Bill Does

  • Declares that there is an emergency situation due to high electricity rates and potential disconnections.
  • Prevents Pepco from disconnecting customers' electricity service during this period.
  • Allows the resolution to be passed with only one reading in the Council of the District of Columbia.

Who It Names or Affects

  • District of Columbia residents who receive electricity services from Pepco.
  • The Public Service Commission and Pepco, which must follow the new rules set by this resolution.

Terms To Know

Vacatur
A legal term that means to cancel or nullify a previous decision.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The resolution only applies while the Public Service Commission decides on new rates.
  • It does not specify how long this emergency situation will last or what happens after it ends.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-17 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Resolution R26-0375, Effective from Mar 31, 2026 Published in DC Register Vol 73 and Page 006084

  2. 2026-03-31 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Retained by the Council

  3. 2026-03-31 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Legislative Meeting

  4. 2026-03-31 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Approved with Resolution Number R26-0375

  5. 2026-03-27 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    PR26-0583 Introduced by Councilmember Lewis George at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Rate Plan Vacatur Interim Protections Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED ORIGINAL

1

A RESOLUTION

26-375

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

March 31, 2026

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Retail Electric
Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 1999 to disallow electricity service
disconnection in a period of time after an order approved by the Public Service
Commission is vacated and remanded.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Rate Plan Vacatur Interim Protections Emergency Declaration
Resolution of 2026”.

Sec. 2. (a) In January 2026, District residents experienced an extreme hike in electricity
rates leading to a spike in shutoff notices and reports of residents’ utilities bills doubling or rising
hundreds of dollars in a single month.
(b) On March 5, 2026, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals vacated and remanded
Order Nos. 22328 and 22358 of the Public Service Commission (“Commission”), which
approved Potomac Electric Power Company’s (“Pepco”) multi-year rate plan and $123.4 million
rate increase over 2 years (Order No. 22328) and denied the Office of the People’s Counsel’s
request to the Commission for reconsideration (Order No. 22358).
(c) Given this, the Commission should restore Pepco distribution rates to those
established prior to Order No. 22328, last in effect in December 2024, as these were the last rates
that maintain legal standing, per a recent filing by the Office of the People’s Counsel.
(d) Until the Commission takes action to reduce rates to their previous amount and bring
immediate relief to ratepayers, District residents should not experience instability caused by
having their electricity service disconnected, which many are at substantially higher risk of
because of the inaction of the Commission. It is necessary to pause disconnection of electricity to
ensure that District residents are not unnecessarily harmed while the Commission and Council
weigh what actions should be taken to ensure electricity affordability in the longer term.

Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute
emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Rate Plan Vacatur Interim Protections
Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 be adopted after a single reading.

Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.