I N S I D E
I N S I D E
Chavis Lobbies for Environmental Justice for Blacks, Pg. 29
Economists Examine U.S. Debt Ceiling Limit, Pg. 5
Automakers Respond to PUSH’s Diversity Request, Pg. 17
Opposition Grows to Mayor’s Anti-Crime Bill, Pg. 10
The Back Story to Kendrick Lamar Symphony Concert, Pg. 30
Vol. 51, No. 3 OCT 29 - NOV 4 , 2015
Mayor Muriel Bowser has come under fire by some groups opposed to the Pepco/Exelon merger. /Photo by Travis Riddick
Environmentalists Blast Exelon-Bowser Deal By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer A merger of Exelon Corp and Pepco Holdings, Inc. would create the largest electric utility holding company in the country. In the meantime, however, the proposed merger has so far caused nothing but controversy in the District with environmental groups railing against the deal. On Monday, Oct. 26, those opposing the deal turned their furor toward Mayor Muriel Bowser and her administration’s recent about-face in giving her blessing to the $6.8 billion merger. “We’re concerned about how this happened … now Pepco and Exelon are tied at the hip with D.C. government pushing for an expedited review,” said Anya Schoolman, the executive director of DC Sun, an orga-
nization that expands access to solar by educating District residents about the benefits of distributed solar energy. DC Sun opposes the merger. “Mayor Bowser’s decision to settle with Exelon does nothing to change the fundamental conflict of interest identified by the Public Service Commission in their unanimous rejection of this bad deal,” Schoolman said. “Allowing Exelon to take over Pepco will take money out of the pockets of D.C. ratepayers while providing them no tangible benefit. It will also harm the ability of D.C. residents to develop their own clean, cost-effective energy.” Schoolman joined several others who are opposed to the deal in a news conference call to lay out why the D.C. Public Service Commission should reject
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A house in Georgetown is decked out with Halloween decorations, one of America’s favorite holidays, leading from the sidewalk to the front door featuring ghouls, goblins, mummies and spiders. /Photo by John E. DeFreitas
Orange Continues Push for D.C. Statehood Residents Allowed to Testify at Public Hearing By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor At-Large Councilmember Vincent Orange has been on the forefront of the campaign to secure full voting representation and statehood for the District of Columbia. And on Tuesday, Oct. 27, he, along with Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, held a public hearing on PR 21-302, the “Sense of the Council in Support of a ‘Statehood or Else’ Signature Campaign Resolution of 2015,” which Councilmembers Orange, Alexander, Bonds and Grosso introduced in July 2015.
Councilmembers Allen, May, Todd, Nadeau and Evans co-sponsored the bill. During the public hearing, District residents were invited to share their views and express their frustration with the fact that while those who live in D.C. pay taxes, that they do have a vote or voice in Congress. The nationwide signature campaign’s goal has been to produce a petition supporting District of Columbia statehood and to collect one million signatures for the petition. The petition would then be delivered to the White House, to all 535 members of Congress, as well as lead-
ership at both the 2016 Republican National Convention and the 2016 Democratic National Convention. “The time is now for the District to push for statehood and collecting one million signatures demonstrates that sense of urgency,” said Orange in an earlier press release. “It’s important to have the signatures by next summer so that future leadership in the White House makes statehood in the District a priority of their administration.” “The ‘Statehood or Else’ cam-
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