Washington Gas Light and Altagas Merger

District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment
Project completed September 2018

Dr. Asa Hopkins provided testimony before the District of Columbia PSC on behalf of the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment. Altagas proposed to acquire the District’s gas distribution utility, and Dr. Hopkins testified regarding the suitability of Altagas as a purchaser in light of DC’s goals for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. His testimony included an analysis of the long-term potential for natural gas consumption in the District in the context of an 80 percent GHG emissions reduction across all sectors, and concluded that dramatic reductions in fossil fuel gas consumption are going to be necessary, that renewable natural gas supplies are unlikely to make up the difference, and that WGL would need to change aspects of its business model as the city moves toward its goals. Dr. Hopkins testified regarding the suitability of Altagas’s merger commitments to the District’s GHG goals in light of these conclusions.