Washington Gas' $20 Million Dollar Secret

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)What kind of papers are worth a cool $20 million? Washington Gas’ contract with Accenture, apparently. The utility’s $20.5 million rate increase was put on ice this week when Washington Gas refused to provide the outsourcing contract demanded by DC’s Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC) and OPEIU Local 2. The $350 million, 10-year deal with Accenture will outsource many utility support services, including the DC customer service call center, costing 150 local union jobs. Although Washington Gas says the contract is “irrelevant,” OPC lawyer Elizabeth Noel says it’s crucial to the question of the “company’s ability to provide safe, adequate and reliable service at rates that are just and reasonable.” Meanwhile, the Public Service Commission has cancelled community meetings and suspended action on Washington Gas’ rate increase request, which the company had hoped to implement October 1. Includes reporting by Michael Neibauer in The Examiner.