Client: The Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia
Authors: Tanya Stasio, Bryndis Woods, PhD. Joshua R. Castigliego, Liz Stanton, PhD
December 2021
On behalf of the Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia, Researcher Tanya Stasio, Senior Researcher Bryndis Woods, PhD, Researcher Joshua Castigliego, and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD examine a potential pathway for reducing emissions in the District of Columbia: equitable electrification–a transition away from fossil fuels while taking into consideration equity implications, in both existing and future decarbonization efforts.
A baseline equity analysis of the distribution of energy expenditures, median income and other vulnerability indicators reveals significant disparities across the District. To account for the existing disparities of income and access within the District and ensure beneficial electrification efforts are equitable, AEC identified the following priorities: (1) Ensuring that community engagement influences DC Public Service Commission and District Government decision-making regarding beneficial electrification programs; (2) Prioritizing beneficial electrification investments in neighborhoods impacted by environmental injustice and addressing common decarbonization barriers, and; (3) Ensuring that beneficial electrification programs do not increase the energy burden for EJ and other vulnerable communities.