The official in charge of the District’s day-to-day operations said Thursday that city leaders would not stand for massive increases in electricity bills in exchange for Pepco burying power lines throughout Washington, a project that could cost up to $6 billion.

“We believe that a billion dollars unloaded on the consumer is outrageous, and that would never fly,” City Administrator Allen Lew said. “But if a portion of the costs that we’re talking about was to be assigned to the consumer, along with all of the other things that we’re looking at, it might allow us to move forward with this.”