District of Columbia Commission Launches Proceeding to Access Federal Infrastructure Funding

The District of Columbia Public Service Commission on July 8 opened a proceeding to take action that will identify accessible funding sources for the Potomac Electric Power Company and the Washington Gas Light Company under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

As a part of this proceeding, the commission directed the utilities to submit monthly reports, beginning Aug. 31, to the office of the People’s Counsel and to the District Department of Energy and Environment. The commission also invites interested persons to provide recommendations about suitable initiatives for financing in this proceeding at the earliest.

• The monthly reports must contain the following:
• Funding that the utilities have applied for;
• Status of funding applications;
• Section of the infrastructure law that is applicable to the fund;
• Purposes of funding and its fund expense strategy in order to align with the district’s climate commitments and the utility’s capital investment plan;
• Criteria that must be met in order to receive funding.

The commission also directed the above companies to monitor the costs incurred by establishing a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Regulatory Asset. The Infrastructure Law encourages investment in the U.S.’ infrastructure and competitiveness. The law ensures the re-erection of the nation’s infrastructure that includes electric vehicle infrastructure, electric generation, grid reliability, clean energy transmission and deployment, energy efficiency, and access to clean water and cyber security; thus building a sustainable economy. This law is also critical for improving the resilience and reliability of Columbia’s electric and natural gas energy transmission systems while minimizing consumer tax liability.

Since the enactment of the infrastructure bill in 2021, there has been substantial development in the implementation of the law, including the launch of a $6 billion nuclear fleet renovation program, the establishment of a new office to monitor $20 billion worth of clean energy demonstration investments, and a $5 billion program to support states with EV infrastructure plans. This act is key to achieving the Biden administration goal for the federal government to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and a carbon-free electric grid by 2035.