The D.C. Council is set to gavel in at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow for a public hearing on the Utility Rates and Ratemaking Amendment Act, a bill aimed at reining in costly multi-year utility rate plans and cooling the steady climb in household bills. Council members, regulators and consumer advocates are expected to line up with competing ideas for how to improve utility affordability across the District.
The Council flagged the session on June 28 on its official social media, posting the 9:30 a.m. start time and describing the hearing as a search for policy fixes to boost utility affordability. According to the D.C. Council Facebook page, the notice steers readers to the Council's hearings calendar for full logistical details.
What the Bill Would Do
Introduced by Councilmember Robert White, the Utility Rates and Ratemaking Amendment Act of 2026 would narrow when the Public Service Commission can use multi-year rate plans. Under the bill, those plans would have to rely on historic test years and leave out reconciliation mechanisms that can shift extra costs onto ratepayers. The proposal would also require that excess returns on equity be refunded to customers.
Another key piece of the measure is tougher scrutiny of gas infrastructure projects. The draft would direct regulators to greenlight those investments only when there is a clear, demonstrable benefit for customers and when cost-effective alternatives have been fully considered. Those provisions are detailed in the legislation posted on the D.C. Council legislative site.
Why It Matters to Ratepayers
Supporters cast the bill as a direct response to recent jumps in electric bills, including an expected increase of roughly $9 a month that Council staff have cited. They argue the measure is designed to clamp down on ratemaking tools that pass costs straight through to households.
Councilmember Charles Allen has framed the June 29 hearing as an opportunity to tighten oversight of Pepco and the Public Service Commission while the Council also looks at homegrown fixes such as expanded local clean energy programs and targeted affordability funds, according to Charles Allen.
Regulatory Context
The Public Service Commission approved Pepco's multi-year rate plan, known as FC 1176, in November 2024. That decision set several years of rate targets that are now drawing scrutiny from the Council.
Filings and statistical reports from the commission spell out how multi-year plans and cost-recovery rules can ripple through customer bills. Lawmakers point to that material as the backdrop for the new guardrails they are considering on ratemaking, as laid out in the Public Service Commission 2024 statistical report.
How to Watch and Testify
The hearing is set for tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. The Council's social media announcement links to the full hearing entry where residents can find the agenda, livestream and sign-up information for those who want to weigh in.
For the official agenda and livestream, visit the D.C. Council hearings calendar and the hearing page for the Utility Rates and Ratemaking Amendment Act.
Lawmakers will be watching closely to see how testimony from regulators, utilities and consumer advocates shapes the next steps. The outcome could determine whether the District tightens limits on multi-year rate plans and ramps up tools to shield low-income households from future spikes in utility costs, setting the stage for a pointed debate over rate-setting authority and near-term affordability moves at tomorrow's session.
