Rev. Catherine Manhardt: Pepco—Enough is enough; Public Service Commission— tough times call for courage
The Rev. Catherine Manhardt (second from right) with other Maryland Just Power Alliance leaders outside of the Public Service Commission last fall.
I was disappointed to see that our Public Service Commission approved a $50.9 million rate increase for Pepco (Maryland regulators slash Pepco rate increase request by more than half). While that may have been good enough four years ago, today’s context is different.
We in the Maryland Just Power Alliance heard from 3,000 Marylanders about their struggles trying to pay their bills—rent, mortgage, healthcare, and especially utilities. Our state legislators passed the Utility Relief Act this year to address rising energy bills, and the PSC’s decision is undoing its impact.
Every day, families in our state are facing impossible decisions. The costs of health care, food, and energy keep rising without relief. Parents go to bed worried, wondering how they will cover the next bill, how they will protect their children, how they will survive a system that seems determined to ignore their suffering. These struggles are especially felt in communities where families are being separated by ICE, and the cancellation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has left so many people without the ability to work and support those they love.
As a priest, I believe that God created this world in goodness, for the flourishing of all people. And so, it is heartbreaking to witness the real anger and deep fear my friends and neighbors are carrying right now.
I want to be clear that the words in this commentary do not belong to me alone. They contain the voices of leaders from the tenant organizations, schools, and faith communities who form the Maryland Just Power Alliance. Our communities want to know how Pepco can possibly justify putting their desire for profit above the needs of people who are already at their limit.
I have heard from a mother living in a modest rental apartment in Silver Spring, whose electricity was cut off during a heat wave because she cannot afford $800 bills. Members of my own congregation in Potomac report a 13% increase in their electric supply charges this year, and bills in excess of $600, while actively trying to reduce consumption. Every home powered by Pepco is impacted, and many of us are speaking out.
As community leaders in the Maryland Just Power Alliance, we testified against Pepco’s rate increase, and we were clear: the Public Service Commission (PSC) needs to hold Pepco responsible and stop guaranteeing their excessive profits.
While the PSC denied half of Pepco’s rate increase, they are sending the wrong message by still granting them a $50 million raise. Pepco’s parent company Exelon made over $2 billion in profit last year, yet the PSC only slightly lowered Pepco’s profits from 9.5% to 9.4%. Unlike most businesses, those profits are guaranteed and come directly from everyday people.
We all have the right to live, and to live well. It is not enough to merely survive - living in fear and counting every dollar with anguish. Greed and extreme wealth are not only unjust, they are dangerous. They break apart communities, destroy trust, and erode human dignity.
The PSC needs to hold our utility companies responsible, with the awareness that behind every utility bill there is a life, a story, and a home that deserves respect.
Sincerely,
The Rev. Catherine Manhardt
The Rev. Catherine Manhardt is an Episcopal priest and leader in the Maryland Just Power Alliance.
