POST-SETTLEMENT HEARING BRIEF OF THE SIERRA CLUB AND CHESAPEAKE CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK

The Sierra Club and Chesapeake Climate Action Network oppose Exelon's acquisition of Pepco Holdings, Inc., asserting that the proposed settlement is insufficient. They argue that Exelon's solar commitments are merely statutory obligations, its financial health is questionable, and the merger would conflict with Maryland's renewable energy goals. The brief claims that the acquisition offers negligible ratepayer savings while introducing substantial risks to the public interest.

• The proposed acquisition is not in the public interest because it threatens the state's energy policy objectives and offers only speculative, minor benefits to customers, such as residential bill reductions of approximately 80 cents for Pepco customers and $1.25 for Delmarva customers per month.
• Exelon's commitment to develop 15 MW of solar generation across Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and the Delmarva service territory is viewed as a minimum effort to comply with the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) rather than a genuine benefit, as it would only increase Maryland's installed solar capacity by 5 percent.
• Exelon's financial stability is questioned, noting that its generation business lost $91 million in the fourth quarter compared to a $269 million profit the previous year, and that it is highly exposed to declines in natural gas prices due to its heavy reliance on nuclear power (85 percent of generation in 2013).
• The proposed $94.4 million Consumer Investment Fund (CIF) is legally problematic because the applicants failed to provide evidence regarding the adequacy of the current funding of the Electric Universal Service Program (EUSP), as required by Md. Code Ann., Pub. Utils. § 7-512.1(g).
• The commitment to forgive residential customer accounts receivable over three years old is deemed to have little impact, as only 206 customers in Pepco's territory and 112 in Delmarva's territory meet this criteria.
• Energy efficiency funding for Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties (approximately $5 million and $6 million per year respectively) is criticized for creating redundant administrative processes that duplicate existing EmPower Maryland programs.

APA

Earthjustice (2015). POST-SETTLEMENT HEARING BRIEF OF THE SIERRA CLUB AND CHESAPEAKE CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/post-settlement-hearing-brief_sierra-club-ccan.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. POST-SETTLEMENT HEARING BRIEF OF THE SIERRA CLUB AND CHESAPEAKE CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK. 2015. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/post-settlement-hearing-brief_sierra-club-ccan.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=POST-SETTLEMENT HEARING BRIEF OF THE SIERRA CLUB AND CHESAPEAKE CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK |date=1 May 2015 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/post-settlement-hearing-brief_sierra-club-ccan.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2015postsettlement, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{POST-SETTLEMENT HEARING BRIEF OF THE SIERRA CLUB AND CHESAPEAKE CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2015}, month = may, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/post-settlement-hearing-brief_sierra-club-ccan.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }