KEEP THE LIGHTS ON! |  |
EMERGENCY PROTEST |
Starting this Wednesday, April 1, when a winter restriction on shutoffs ends, hundreds of thousands of D.C. metro area residents who are behind on their utility bills could have their power shut off.
Millions of people in the D.C. metro area have been issued shutoff notices. In 2008, Baltimore Gas and Electric issued 1.9 million shutoff notices; in Washington, D.C., Washington Gas issued 472,586, and the electricity provider Pepco issued 426,202.
Higher energy prices, a result of deregulated markets, have led to rising electricity and natural gas costs. An average monthly Pepco bill for D.C. customers rose from $58.16 in 2004 to $103.67 in 2009. This was to the benefit of investors, especially the biggest banks, but constituted a terrible attack on the living standards of working families in our area. There should be a 50 percent rollback in heat and electrical rates.
The energy price hikes are hitting those living on fixed incomes, including seniors and disabled people, particularly hard. But many residents who do not qualify for federal or state assistance are facing possible shutoffs as well.
According to utility officials, shortages in staffing have meant that 10 percent of bills are estimated, resulting in significant inaccuracies. Energy companies are gouging customers through both price hikes and inaccurate energy-use estimates.
Under pressure, the Maryland Public Safety Commission has issued a temporary reprieve on shutoffs.
We demand that the D.C. Public Service Commission, the Virginia State Corporation Commission, and Pepco and the other energy companies and regulatory agencies in this area declare an immediate moratorium on any shutoffs of heat and electricity. We also demand a 50 percent rollback in heat and electrical rates.
Heat and light are a right! When the biggest bankers couldn’t pay their debt, they were given $9.5 trillion (cash and loan guarantees) of taxpayers’ money as a bailout. Not one family should be forced to lose electricity and heat because they can’t pay their debt to Pepco or the other energy companies.
Here’s what you can do:
(1) Attend the Emegency Protest next Tuesday, March 31 at 12:30 PM in front of the Pepco Customer Service Center located at 701 9th Street NW (at G St.) in Washington, D.C. Take the metro to Gallery Place or Metro Center.
(2) Click here to sign the petition.
(3) Click here to send a letter to Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, Pepco, Washington Gas, BGE, Dominion Resources, the D.C. Public Service Commission, and the Virginia State Corporation Commission using our quick and easy-to-use online system.
THE NUMBERS: |
| 1 in 4 D.C. residents at risk of shutoff |
| 100,000 Virginia residents at risk of shutoff |
| 120,000 Maryland residents at risk of shutoff |
| $300,000,000 Pepco’s 2008 earnings |
| $15,674,000,000 Dominion Resources’ 2007 earnings. |
| $21,000,000,000 Constellation Energy (BGE)’s 2007 earnings |
Who is Justice First?
Justice First is a newly-formed national grassroots organization that organizes for economic justice, civil liberties and civil rights.
