Over 40,000 D.C. residents sign Exelon-Pepco merger petition

A recent petition has received over 40,000 signatures from Washington, D.C., residents in support of a proposed electric-utility merger between Exelon Corp. and Pepco Holdings.

The petition is currently running on PHITomorrow.com. In August, a previous merger plan was rejected by the city's Public Service Commission (PSC). This resulted in a settlement between both companies and government groups, including the D.C. Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the People’s Council.

“Tens of thousands of residents from across the district have clearly stated they want this merger, which will provide more than $72 million for bill credits, low-income customer assistance, renewable energy and energy-efficiency programs for the district,” Melissa Sherrod, vice president of corporate affairs for Exelon, said. “In addition, we’ve committed to promote local jobs in the district and will provide $5.2 million for workforce development. In fact, at community hearings last month, dozens of district residents and community groups turned out to say they support our merger because of these significant benefits.”

The merger has been approved by Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia and federal regulators. A final decision on the latest merger plan is expected to be made in the first quarter of 2016.