Benning Road Power Plant

The plant's location in a largely African American and low-income portion of Northeast, Washington, D.C. raised environmental justice concerns for decades.^[4] The Plant produced air pollution that negatively affected neighboring communities. The facility also contributed to water pollution in the neighboring Anacostia River, releasing PCBs, lead, iron, cadmium, zinc, and other hazardous materials into the waterway.^[5][6] In 2011, PEPCO entered into a consent decree with the government of Washington DC due to the company's years of releases of PCBs into the river.^[7][8] In 2017, PEPCO agreed to pay regulators $1.6 million for violations of the Clean Water Act.^[9]

In 2014, the plant was stripped of hazardous materials and then demolished, leaving a 19-acre undeveloped riverfront site in a dense urban area.^[10] The facility was extremely close to the Minnesota Avenue station. There have been calls for the site to be converted into a use that is beneficial to the community.^[11]