“No Pepco Pledge” rally. Image by the author.

Four DC Council candidates on Friday morning signed a pledge not to take campaign contributions from Pepco, Washington Gas, and fossil fuel companies. The pledge is spearheaded by the climate group 350 DC, which says it has reached out to ward-level candidates who have launched campaigns.

Ward 2 candidate Daniel Hernandez, Ward 4 candidate Janeese Lewis George, and Ward 7 candidates Kelvin Brown and Anthony Lorenzo Green signed a poster listing the three provisions of the pledge. Ward 2 candidate Jordan Grossman was not at the rally but tweeted that he’s taking the pledge as well.

So far all of the candidates who have signed on are running under DC’s Fair Elections Act, meaning they can’t take money directly from any business or PAC since they’re using public funds. But by signing the pledge, they’re also agreeing not to take money from top employees of Pepco, Washington Gas, and fossil fuel companies.

“We’re resisting fossil fuels and we’re rejecting big money so we can move forward to renewable energy,” George said at the rally which launched the campaign. “We’re getting rid of fossil fuels. We’re talking about coal, gas, and corruption.”

The rally was held on the steps of the University of the District of Columbia, where the DC Chamber of Commerce was hosting a conference sponsored by Exelon, Pepco’s parent company.

Ward 4 candidate Janeese Lewis George at the rally. Image by the author.

In addition to rejecting campaign cash from executives and lobbyists with local utilities and fossil fuel companies, the “No Pepco Pledge” calls on candidates, if elected, to disclose all meetings with Pepco and Washington Gas and to release detailed notes on the meetings.

The pledge also calls for candidates to support an economic feasibility study on utility municipalization, by transforming Pepco and Washington Gas into public utilities or having the DC government procure power for customers through the existing utility, a model known as Community Choice Aggregation.

Ward 2 candidates John Fanning, Patrick Kennedy, Kishan Putta, and Yilin Zhang have not told the group whether they’ll sign the pledge. Ward 2 incumbent Jack Evans, whose home was raided by the FBI in a corruption investigation, has not filed to run for re-election, so 350 DC did not ask him to sign the pledge.

Incumbents Brandon Todd in Ward 4, Vincent Gray in Ward 7, and Trayon White in Ward 8 have not said whether they’ll agree to the pledge. Council seats in Wards 1, 3, 5, and 6 are not up for election this year, and 350 DC has yet to ask at-large candidates to sign on.

Asked about the pledge, Melissa Lavinson, Pepco’s senior vice president for government affairs, wrote in an email: “We agree with 350 DC that climate change is real and we must take aggressive action to mitigate it. This pledge is disappointing, in that it could result in stakeholders being unwilling to engage in constructive dialogue. Climate change is too important.”

Washington Gas spokesperson Bernie Tylor declined to comment on the pledge.

Ward 2 candidate Daniel Hernandez signing the pledge. Image by the author.

Much of 350 DC’s criticism of Pepco involves the 2016 merger of Pepco and the nuclear power company Exelon. Mayor Muriel Bowser initially opposed the merger, but then supported it after negotiating a settlement agreement with Pepco and Exelon that included $25.6 million to freeze residential rates. 350 DC says Pepco reneged on that promised rate freeze.

The DC Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities and had the final say on the merger, rejected the proposed residential rate freeze and suggested changes to the merger agreement. As a result, the DC government dropped its support for the merger, with Bowser saying at the time that the final merger plan “guts much needed protections against rate increases for DC residents and assistance for low-income DC rate payers.”

The Public Service Commission gave final approval to the merger in March 2016. Lavinson, of Pepco, said that although the merger conditions did not include a rate freeze, much of the $25.6 million originally set aside for the freeze will by 2021 be used to offset the cost of rate increases. She also noted that the merger required Pepco to provide a one-time credit of $54 per residential customer.

350 DC says Pepco uses its charitable giving—and threats to withhold largesse—to influence policymaking. WAMU reported in 2015 that Pepco said if the merger were not approved, the utility’s $2 million in annual charitable giving could dry up. Asked about that on Friday, Lavinson said Pepco merely said a denial of the merger could “impact” charitable donations, but “there was no direct threat to reduce philanthropy.”

Lavinson said Pepco supported the provision in the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act requiring electricity from 100% renewable sources and that Pepco is developing vehicle electrification and energy efficiency programs that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, last year Pepco successfully lobbied to kill a provision of the clean energy bill that would have reduced carbon emissions by 710,000 tons a year, or 8% of DC’s annual climate pollution.

The pledge from 350 DC asks candidates whether they want influence from Pepco, Washington Gas, and fossil fuel companies to continue.