WGL Holdings

Last updated
WGL Holdings, Inc.
Company type Subsidiary
IndustryUtilities
Founded1848;176 years ago (1848)
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Areas served
 District of Columbia
Maryland
Virginia
Key people
Donald "Blue" Jenkins (President & CEO)
ProductsGas Utilities
Number of employees
1,444
Parent AltaGas
Subsidiaries Washington Gas
WGL Energy
WGL Midstream
Hampshire Gas
Website www.wgl.com
washingtongas.com

WGL Holdings, Inc., is a public utility holding company that serves more than 1 million customers in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. [1] A subsidiary of AltaGas, it provides natural gas, electricity, sustainable energy, carbon neutrality and energy services, and also is engaged in natural gas exploration, production, and storage. The company operates four divisions: Washington Gas, WGL Energy, WGL Midstream, and Hampshire Gas.

Contents

The company dates to 1848. Today, 19th-century traces of the company include the Civil War-era aqueduct across Rock Creek Park between Georgetown and Foggy Bottom and the gas and electric street lamps installed nearby.

History

Washington Gas logo Washington Gas Logo.jpg
Washington Gas logo

Genesis

Washington, D.C., was decades slower than some other eastern U.S. cities to move from candles or oil to natural gas for lighting. Baltimore was first, in 1816; New York City was partially lighted with gas in 1825.[ citation needed ] In 1840, when a gas company for Washington remained only a proposal, a U.S. Senate document argued for gas' salutary effect on the local economy: "fancy and other stores would introduce this light, and thus add to the cheerfulness of the public ways."[ citation needed ]

Among the early proponents of gas was James Crutchett, who bought a house north of the Capitol grounds and lit it with gas. This drew the attention of Congress, which voted him $17,500 to light up the Capitol and helped encourage public support for wider use of gas.

A supporter of Crutchett's ideas was Benjamin B. French, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives, who helped attract other important supporters, including William A. Bradley, the city's postmaster and mayor; John F. Callan, a druggist; his brother Michael P. Callan, a Post Office clerk; hardware merchant William H. Harrover; William H. English, a Treasury clerk who became a Congressman from Indiana and later a Vice-Presidential candidate; and Jacob Bigelow, an attorney and abolitionist who later helped escaped slave Ann Maria Weems. [2]

Two petitions were sent to Congress in April 1848, and on July 8 of that year, lawmakers issued the first Congressional charter for a company that would extract gas from coal.[ citation needed ] At last, the nation's capital had its first gas company, the Washington Gas Light Company. [3] The company was established on the tenth street of the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, and eventually led to the area's urbanization.[ citation needed ]

1850-1900

George Washington Riggs became the president of the company in 1856. Two years later, the company began to build a new, more efficient factory, the West Station Works, between 26th and G Streets NW.

Meanwhile, a new plant was constructed in Foggy Bottom in 1858 at the intersection of New Hampshire and Virginia avenues NW. This location, at the head of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, gave it access to barges carrying coal from West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

These plants changed the neighborhood. Between 1830 and 1860, the percentage of "skilled laborers" in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood declined from 44% to 23%, while the percentage of "unskilled laborers" rose to 44%. [4]

During the American Civil War, coal and transportation grew scarce. "The cost of making gas increased one hundred and twenty-five percent, and another problem appeared when Congress reduced the gas rate seventeen percent." [5] The company sought help from the Secretary of War and from President Abraham Lincoln, who he wrote to John W. Garrett, president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, asking him to "bring coal to the city and afford the continuation of the necessary gas lighting." [6] Production levels for gas went down during the Civil War, they soon returned to normal.

In the 1870s, several large holding tanks (gasometers) were erected at the Foggy Bottom site.

In 1878, Thomas Edison introduced the incandescent lamp, a threat to the company.

In 1891, one of the gasometers exploded; the cause was attributed to a large storm. [7]

20th century

Gas furnaces began to appear in 1915. [8]

In 1947, the gas industry expanded to nearly 22 million customers nationwide. [9] [10]

The Foggy Bottom plant operated until the 1950s. In 1964, the Washington Gas Light Company sold development rights for the location in a deal that stipulated that the new structure would be supplied exclusively by the company. [11] The site became home to the Watergate Complex, and the last building on the site was completed in 1971. [12]

In 1997, in response to newly deregulated gas and energy markets, Washington Gas formed Washington Gas Resources Corp to serve as a holding company for non-utility subsidiaries. Also in 1997, the company created an unregulated energy company, Washington Gas Energy Services, as a subsidiary of that holding company. [13]

2000s

In 2014, the company rebranded itself as WGL, aiming to project the image of "a new kind of energy company: answer-oriented, technology and data driven, responsive and built for the complex energy markets of today and tomorrow". [14]

On July 6, 2018, the company was acquired by AltaGas. [15] After the deal was closed, CEO and Chairman Terry McCallister retired from WGL and COO Adrian Chapman took the position. [16] The AltaGas/Washington Gas merger agreement approved by the DC Public Service Commission required the company to develop a plan to comply with DC's commitment of carbon neutrality by 2050. On March 16, 2020, Washington Gas released its "Climate Business Plan," which called for a combination of efforts including reducing the combustion of fossil fuels while adding some non-fossil fuel gases currently venting into the atmosphere. In filings before the DC Public Service Commission, the DC Department of Energy and Environment and the DC Office of Attorney General said the plan, which calls for continued burning of fossil fuels past 2050, is "incompatible with the District's climate policy." [17]

In 2022, Washington Gas lobbied the DC Council to significantly weaken legislation to transition DC buildings from gas to clean energy, but the utility's effort was not successful. [18] The Washington City paper reported that in 2024, Washington Gas hired multiple lobbyists who used deceptive tactics to seek to kill the Healthy Homes Act, legislation that would help low-income residents switch from carcinogen-leaking fossil fuel appliances to cleaner electric alternatives. Despite the gas utility's effort, the Healthy Homes Act passed the DC Council unanimously. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity generation</span> Process of generating electrical power

Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery to end users or its storage, using for example, the pumped-storage method.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossil fuel</span> Fuel formed over millions of years from dead plants and animals

A fossil fuel is a carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material such as coal, oil, and natural gas, formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of prehistoric organisms, a process that occurs within geological formations. Reservoirs of such compound mixtures can be extracted and burned as a fuel for human consumption to provide heat for direct use, to power heat engines that can propel vehicles, or to generate electricity via steam turbine generators. Some fossil fuels are further refined into derivatives such as kerosene, gasoline and diesel.

Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the Southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices located in Birmingham, Alabama. As of 2021 it is the second largest utility company in the U.S. in terms of customer base. Through its subsidiaries it serves 9 million gas and electric utility customers in 6 states. Southern Company's regulated regional electric utilities serve a 120,000-square-mile (310,000 km2) territory with 27,000 miles (43,000 km) of distribution lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foggy Bottom</span> Neighborhood in Washington, D.C., United States

Foggy Bottom is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States, located in the city's northwest quadrant. It stretches west of the White House towards the Potomac River, north of the National Mall, east of Georgetown, south of the West End neighborhood and west of Downtown D.C.

Puget Sound Energy, Inc. (PSE) is an energy utility company based in the U.S. state of Washington that provides electrical power and natural gas to the Puget Sound region. The utility serves electricity to more than 1.2 million customers in Island, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Skagit, Thurston, and Whatcom counties, and provides natural gas to 877,000 customers in King, Kittitas, Lewis, Pierce, Snohomish and Thurston counties. The company's electric and natural gas service area spans 6,000 square miles (16,000 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xcel Energy</span> American utility company

Xcel Energy Inc. is a U.S. regulated electric utility and natural gas delivery company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving more than 3.7 million electric customers and 2.1 million natural gas customers across parts of eight states. It consists of four operating subsidiaries: Northern States Power-Minnesota, Northern States Power-Wisconsin, Public Service Company of Colorado, and Southwestern Public Service Co.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossil fuel power station</span> Facility that burns fossil fuels to produce electricity

A fossil fuel power station is a thermal power station which burns a fossil fuel, such as coal, oil, or natural gas, to produce electricity. Fossil fuel power stations have machinery to convert the heat energy of combustion into mechanical energy, which then operates an electrical generator. The prime mover may be a steam turbine, a gas turbine or, in small plants, a reciprocating gas engine. All plants use the energy extracted from the expansion of a hot gas, either steam or combustion gases. Although different energy conversion methods exist, all thermal power station conversion methods have their efficiency limited by the Carnot efficiency and therefore produce waste heat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TECO Energy</span> Energy Company

TECO Energy Inc. is an energy-related holding company based in Tampa, Florida, and a subsidiary of Emera Incorporated. TECO Energy has several subsidiaries: Tampa Electric, which provides electricity to the Tampa Bay Area and parts of Central Florida; Peoples Gas Company, which provides natural gas throughout Florida; and TECO Services, which provides IT, HR, legal, facilities, and other services to current and former TECO subsidiaries. Previously the company was in the S&P 500 before it became private due its acquisition by Emera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy Policy Act of 2005</span> United States Law

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is a federal law signed by President George W. Bush on August 8, 2005, at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The act, described by proponents as an attempt to combat growing energy problems, changed US energy policy by providing tax incentives and loan guarantees for energy production of various types. The most consequential aspect of the law was to greatly increase ethanol production to be blended with gasoline. The law also repealed the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, effective February 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exelon</span> American utility company

Exelon Corporation is a public utility headquartered in Chicago, and incorporated in Pennsylvania. Exelon is the largest electric parent company in the United States by revenue and is the largest regulated electric utility in the United States with approximately 10 million customers. The company is ranked 99th on the Fortune 500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DTE Energy</span> Energy company based in Detroit

DTE Energy is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services in the United States and Canada. Its operating units include an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers and a natural gas utility serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan.

WEC Energy Group is an American company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that provides electricity and natural gas to 4.4 million customers across four states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy in the United States</span>

Energy in the United States is obtained from a diverse portfolio of sources, although the majority came from fossil fuels in 2021, as 36% of the nation's energy originated from petroleum, 32% from natural gas, and 11% from coal. Electricity from nuclear power supplied 8% and renewable energy supplied 12%, which includes biomass, wind, hydro, solar and geothermal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossil fuels lobby</span> Lobbying supporting the fossil fuels industry

The fossil fuels lobby includes paid representatives of corporations involved in the fossil fuel industry, as well as related industries like chemicals, plastics, aviation and other transportation. Because of their wealth and the importance of energy, transport and chemical industries to local, national and international economies, these lobbies have the capacity and money to attempt to have outsized influence on governmental policy. In particular, the lobbies have been known to obstruct policy related to environmental protection, environmental health and climate action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coal-fired power station</span> Type of thermal power station

A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide there are over 2,400 coal-fired power stations, totaling over 2,130 gigawatts capacity. They generate about a third of the world's electricity, but cause many illnesses and the most early deaths, mainly from air pollution. World installed capacity doubled from 2000 to 2023 and increased 2% in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossil fuel phase-out</span> Gradual reduction of the use and production of fossil fuels

Fossil fuel phase-out is the gradual reduction of the use and production of fossil fuels to zero, to reduce deaths and illness from air pollution, limit climate change, and strengthen energy independence. It is part of the ongoing renewable energy transition, but is being hindered by fossil fuel subsidies.

Madison Gas and Electric Company (MGE) is the primary subsidiary of MGE Energy, Inc.. As a regulated utility, it primarily serves the Madison, Wisconsin metropolitan area with electricity, gas and green energy options.

<i>Energiewende</i> Ongoing energy transition in Germany

The Energiewende is the ongoing energy transition by Germany to a low carbon, environmentally sound, reliable, and affordable energy supply. The new system intends to rely heavily on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy demand management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossil fuel divestment</span> Divestment in companies that extract fossil fuels

Fossil fuel divestment or fossil fuel divestment and investment in climate solutions is an attempt to reduce climate change by exerting social, political, and economic pressure for the institutional divestment of assets including stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments connected to companies involved in extracting fossil fuels.

AltaGas is a North American energy infrastructure company based in Calgary, Alberta. It links natural gas liquids (NGLs) and natural gas to both Canadian and global markets. The company operates in four business segments: utilities, midstream, power and corporate.

References

  1. ↑ Plunkett, Jack W. (2005). Plunkett's Energy Industry Almanac, 2006: The Only Comprehensive Guide to the Energy & Utlities Industry. Plunkett Research, Ltd. ISBN   9781593920364.
  2. ↑ Snodgrass, Mary Ellen, The Underground Railroad: An Encyclopedia of People, Places, and Operations, Routledge, 2015, p 54
  3. ↑ Townsend, George Alfred (1874). New Washington, or, The Renovated Capital City. Washington DC: Chronicle Pub.
  4. ↑ Sherwood, Suzanne (1978). Foggy Bottom 1800-1975: A Study in the Uses of an Urban Neighborhood. Washington DC: George Washington University.
  5. ↑ Hershman, Robert (1948). Growing with Washington. Washington: Washington Gas Light Company. p. 46.
  6. ↑ Hershman, Robert (1948). Growing with Washington. Washington DC: Washington Gas Light Company. p. 47.
  7. ↑ "DEATH IN THE TORNADO: Fatal Collapse of the New Metzerott Music Hall". Washington Post. November 24, 1891.
  8. ↑ Hershman, Robert (1948). Growing with Washington. Washington: Washington Gas Light Company. p. 79.
  9. ↑ Hershman, Robert (1948). Growing with Washington. Washington: Washington Gas Light Company. p. 80.
  10. ↑ Hershman, Robert (1948). Growing with Washington. Washington: Washington Gas Light Company. p. 81.
  11. ↑ "Watergate, Gas Co. Sign Unusual Pact". Washington Post. September 9, 1964.
  12. ↑ "The Watergate: The Building That Changed Washington | Washingtonian (DC)". Washingtonian. 2005-10-01. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  13. ↑ Pietropaoli, Edward (2012). Growing with Washington, Part II. Washington, Washington Gas. p. 85
  14. ↑ "2014 Corporate Performance Report". WGL. 2014.
  15. ↑ "AltaGas Ltd. Announces Closing of its Acquisition of WGL Holdings, Inc" (Press release). AltaGas. July 6, 2018.
  16. ↑ "WGL Holdings names new CEO, executive payouts after AltaGas deal closes". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  17. ↑ Rodeffer, Mark (July 29, 2020). "DC has committed to stop burning fossil fuels by 2050. Washington Gas has another plan". Greater Greater Washington.
  18. ↑ Koma, Alex (2023-01-26). "Washington Gas Lobbyists Tried to Neuter Major Clean Energy Bill". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  19. ↑ Koma, Alex (2024-01-17). "Washington Gas Deploys a Mess of Lobbyists to Kill Legislation Promoting Electric Appliances". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.