Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), along with the Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC) and the Sierra Club, secured a new hearing before the DC Public Service Commission to reconsider Washington Gas Light Company’s (Washington Gas) pipe replacement plan, “District SAFE,” which according to Washington Gas, will require $215 million over three years raised through a surcharge on customers’ gas bills.

“Skyrocketing utility bills are worsening an affordability crisis for DC residents, and we cannot continue to give Washington Gas a blank check funded on the backs of ratepayers, especially when its pipe replacement project is behind schedule, over budget, and locks us into paying for a gas system that will soon be obsolete. Any plan the Commission approves must keep the community safe from dangerous gas leaks, ensure project funds are spent wisely, not wasted, and protect ratepayers from excessive and unwarranted rate increases.” – AG Schwalb