The D.C. Council member with oversight of utility issues this week urged the D.C. Public Service Commission to investigate a rash of power outages and to perhaps sanction Pepco if it fails to make improvements.

Pepco must be directed to explain the specific causes of its power problems and its strategy for preventing outages in the future, Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh, chairwoman of the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs, wrote in an Aug. 25 letter to utility regulators. The commission should order Pepco to take corrective actions, she said, and “consider sanctions” if it fails to comply.