Lawmakers in Washington D.C. ended 2018 on a sustainable
note; the City Council of the District of Columbia voted in favor of passing
the Clean Energy Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018, which will implement a goal of
100 percent renewable energy by 2032.
According to a press release put out by Mary Cheh, the council
member responsible for the legislation, the new plan is the “most ambitious renewable
energy policy in the country.”
In addition to the ambitious renewable target, the bill also
aims for a 10 percent solar energy carve-out by 2041, and commands
zero-emissions public transportation by 2045.
Councilmember Cheh explained in a statement, “The ‘Clean
Energy DC Omnibus Act’ is a historic piece of legislation that puts the
District at the nation’s forefront in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The
fight to reduce the impacts of climate change is the most important
environmental issue of our time.”
The sentiment was echoed by Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie,
who chaired the Committee on Business and Economic Development, who oversaw the
bill once it was introduced by Councilmember Cheh.
“I am proud that the District of Columbia is leading the
nation on environmental justice and will have 100 percent renewable energy by
2032,” he said in a statement. “I want to thank Councilmember Cheh and her
committee, as well as the community of advocates, for their work on this
legislation which set aggressive benchmarks for energy efficiency, balanced
with increased benefits for low-income residents, investments in workforce
development, and stringent CBE requirements.”
Other goals laid out in the bill include new building
emissions standards — which will be implemented by the Department of Energy and
the Environment in order to ensure that both government-owned and privately
owned buildings are energy efficient as well as an initiative to fund local
sustainability initiations. As the statement explains, “To fund the Green
Finance Authority, commonly known as the District’s Green Bank, and strengthen
the funding available for low-incoming energy assistance, this bill will
increase the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund fee for electricity and natural gas
consumption. It does so in a way that will result in less than a $1 increase to
residents’ average monthly electric bills and about a $2.10 increase to
residents’ average monthly gas bills. 20 percent of the generated funds will be
used by Department of Energy and the Environment to provide relief to
low-income residents struggling to pay energy bills.”
In concluding her statement about the bill, Councilmember
Cheh reminded people that action is required in order to make the plans set out
in the bill a reality.
“The District has set a goal to achieve 50 percent
greenhouse gas reductions by 2032, and the introduced version of the ‘Clean
Energy DC Act’ would have brought us within .6 percent of that goal. However, a
number of compromises have pushed us further from that target. This
legislations may create the strongest clean energy and climate protection law
in the country, but we cannot rest on our laurels,” she said.
“We must press forward in 2019 to find ways to further
strengthen the law and enhance our existing protections for the environment.
This is the Council’s responsibility to District residents and future
generations yet to come.”
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