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OPC’s fundamental mission remains the same — ensuring safe, reliable, and affordable utilities for all — but environmental concerns have risen to the forefront of its work. OPC’s vision for sustainability goes beyond clean energy and seeks to ensure the environmental quality and climate resilience of utility systems all while safeguarding consumers from the undue financial burdens of building a more sustainable infrastructure for the future.
Community at the Forefront:
Benning Road
In 1988, Pepco submitted a proposal to expand its power plant at Benning Road.29 Concerned citizens, aware of the potential environmental and health risks of this proposed expansion, rallied in opposition. “I think [River Terrace] was targeted
because they felt that they would have no opposition,” said George Gurley, one of the most prominent community advocates, who noted that power plant generators spew hazardous emissions into the air that can cause cancer and respiratory problems. Gurley added, “Black people in this country have not been known to fight against environmental changes. They’re out trying to get food on the table.”30
Their position was clear: Black residents recognized the correlation between toxic pollution and the health and welfare of their families and said “No!” to a utility expansion that would ultimately harm them.
OPC was deeply involved in the community protest. The Consumer Services Division collaborated closely with
community leaders to orchestrate an extensive public education campaign that included press conferences
and rallies and sought to bolster public participation in the ratemaking process. As a result, hundreds of citizens offered their testimonies during four
public hearings. The residents of the River Terrace community successfully opposed the
construction of a Pepco generating plant at Benning Road, and this whole effort serves
as a showcase of the profound influence that community engagement can have in shaping
utility decisions.