Sierra Club DC PAC Mail Program Educates Voters About Kenyan McDuffie’s Inaction on Utility Affordability, Poor Oversight, and Anti-Environment Record
April 24, 2025
Contact:
David Whitehead, david.whitehead@sierraclub.org, 202-417-6752 - Sierra Club DC PAC
Benjy Cannon, press@safeandaffordabledc.com, 202-714-1567- Safe & Affordable DC
Sierra Club DC PAC Mail Program Educates Voters about Kenyan McDuffie’s Inaction on Utility Affordability, Poor Oversight, and Anti-Environment Record
Before resigning from the DC Council, Kenyan McDuffie built a reputation as a go-to Councilmember for DC’s for-profit utilities, namely Pepco and Washington Gas, and actively worked against clean and affordable energy legislation--now he’s trying to mislead voters.
Washington, DC – This week, DC voters received a second mailer from Sierra Club DC PAC, part of a mail program to educate DC voters about the details of Kenyan McDuffie’s record on utilities, everything from borderline negligent oversight to backdoor dealings with utility companies.
You can view the first and second mailings in the Sierra Club DC PAC mail program here.
Affordability, particularly for electric and gas service, has become a defining aspect of this election, and Kenyan McDuffie is running away from his record and attempting to mislead DC voters. DC residents are facing sky-high energy bills and an affordability crisis, and McDuffie, in no small part, allowed it to happen through failing to oversee DC’s rate-approving Commission and constantly working to undermine legislation that would have stabilized or brought energy prices down, often, reportedly, at the direct request of lobbyists for DC’s for-profit utilities.
These first two mailers make clear to voters the facts:
Kenyan McDuffie had five times more contact with Pepco than any other sitting member of the Council.
Kenyan McDuffie received thousands in campaign contributions from Pepco, its lobbyists, and its executives.
Kenyan McDuffie consistently voted for the priorities of Pepco and Washington Gas while he was on the DC Council.
DC voters can check the facts of Kenyan McDuffie’s record here: www.factcheckkenyan.com.
“Before resigning the Council to seek a promotion to Mayor, Kenyan McDuffie actively worked against legislation that would have saved DC residents money on their utility bills, and failed in his responsibility to oversee DC’s Public Service Commission -- now our energy bills are sky high, and we have Kenyan McDuffie, in no small part, to thank for it,” said Matt Gravatt, Sierra Club DC PAC Co-Chair. “No matter what McDuffie says to misrepresent the facts of his record or mislead voters, the people of DC deserve to know that Kenyan McDuffie doesn’t have their back when it comes to being able to pay their utility bills or afford to live in DC. McDuffie has consistently left DC holding the bag, paying higher rates and living in a more polluted city; DC voters should see through his bad record and false claims and reject McDuffie at the ballot box.”
It’s no wonder Kenyan McDuffie earned a 0% rating, the lowest of any Councilmember, on the Sierra Club DC Chapter’s legislative scorecard: www.sierraclub.org/dc/council-scorecard-2025.
“Working families across DC have been staring down outrageous energy bills that shot up as Kenyan McDuffie turned a blind eye on the DC Council, and now he's trying to mislead DC voters about the facts of his record,” said Jos Williams, Chair of Safe & Affordable DC and the former president of the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO. “We’re proud to work with our environmental partners to make it clear to DC voters that McDuffie is too cozy with for-profit utilities. He has all too often thrown DC workers under the bus to protect the interests of corporate utilities and their lobbyists, while opposing pay increases for workers.”
“Affordable energy advocates and unions are working together to fight for a DC that protects workers, and is healthy, affordable, and sustainable,” said David Whitehead, Sierra Club DC PAC Co-Chair. “Kenyan McDuffie has made clear, time and again, that when faced with tough decisions, he sides with his corporate friends and backers. In McDuffie’s DC, corporate lobbyists and executives have a friendly ear and will have free rein to jack up electricity rates, run roughshod over the needs of working families, and pollute our environment with little consequences. Voters have a choice in the June primary, and for an affordable and sustainable DC, that choice is clear: Janeese Lewis George.”
These are the first two Sierra Club DC PAC mailers, part of a collaborative mail program between Sierra Club DC PAC and Safe and Affordable DC to expose Kenyan McDuffie's record. Sierra Club DC PAC’s six-figure mail program includes these two mailers, as well as other mailings in support of pro-environment candidates who will work for a healthier, more affordable, and more sustainable DC.
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PAID FOR BY SIERRA CLUB DC PAC, 50 F STREET NW, SUITE 800, WASHINGTON, DC 20001. MATTHEW GRAVATT, TREASURER. TOP FIVE CONTRIBUTORS: SIERRA CLUB, BALTIMORE-DC METRO BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL, GREEN ADVOCACY PROJECT, CHESAPEAKE CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK ACTION FUND. A COPY OF OUR REPORT IS FILED WITH THE DIRECTOR OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA BOARD OF ELECTIONS.
PAID FOR BY SAFE AND AFFORDABLE DC, 901 K ST. NW SUITE 200, WASHINGTON, DC 20001, KELSEY GARNATZ, TREASURER. TOP FIVE CONTRIBUTORS: WORKERS VOTE 32BJ, UNITED AMERICAN DREAM FUND, BALTIMORE WASHINGTON CONSTRUCTION AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES LABORERS PAC, INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES POLITICAL ACTION TOGETHER POLITICAL COMMITTEE, AND BALTIMORE-DC METRO BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL. A COPY OF OUR REPORT IS FILED WITH THE DIRECTOR OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA BOARD OF ELECTIONS.